N,O Highly Regio- and Stereoselective Alkylation of Nucleophilic Glycine Equivalents with Carbonates of Allylic α-Hydroxyphosphonates: A Convenient Route to Racemic 2-Amino-5-phosphono-4-pentenoic Acids

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a phosphonate analog of the natural acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor cyclophostin

Two diastereomers of a phosphonate analog 6 of the AChE inhibitor cyclophostin were synthesized. The substitution reaction of phosphono allylic carbonate 10a with methyl acetoacetate gave the vinyl phosphonate 9a. Attempted hydrogenation/debenzylation gave an unexpected enolether lactone. Alternatively, selective hydrogenation, demethylation, cyclization and debenzylation gave the phosphonate analog of cyclophostin as a separable mixture of diastereomers 6. The trans phosphonate isomer was more active than the cis isomer against AChE from two sources.

Stereospecific Pd(O)-Catalyzed Malonate Additions to Allylic Hydroxy Phosphonate Derivatives: A Formal Synthesis of (−)-Enterolactone

A combination of cross-metathesis and malonate addition was applied to a formal synthesis of the mammalian lignan enterolactone 5. The cross-metathesis of alkene 6 and phosphonate 3a gave the substituted allylic phosphonate 3d. The palladium-catalyzed addition of malonate 10d to the allylic phosphonate 3d was stereospecific and highly regioselective and yielded the vinyl phosphonate 11d. The vinyl phosphonate 11d was converted in two steps into the lactone 14, a known intermediate in the synthesis of enterolactone 5.

Stereospecific Pd(0)-Catalyzed Arylation of an Allylic Hydroxy Phosphonate Derivative: Formal Synthesis of (S)-(+)-ar-Turmerone

Reaction of the (1S)-allylic hydroxy phosphonate 1(S) with methyl chloroformate in pyridine yields the corresponding carbonate 3(S). The carbonate 3(S) undergoes a palladium-catalyzed arylation with p-tolyl tributylstannane to give both the 1E and 1Z vinyl phosphonates 6 (85:15). The E and Z vinyl phosphonates 6 were shown to have the opposite configuration at C-3. The major vinyl phosphonate isomer (3S,1E), was converted to (3S)-3-(p-tolyl)-butanal 8(S), completing a formal total synthesis of (S)-ar-turmerone 5a.