Total synthesis of two naturally occurring polyacetylenic glucosides (−)-bidensyneoside A1 and B, and an analogue of (−)-bidensyneoside C

Polyacetylene Glycosides: Isolation, Biological Activities and Synthesis

Polyacetylene glycosides (PAGs) constitute a relatively small class of secondary metabolites characterized by the presence of a sugar unit anomerically connected to a polyacetylene. These compounds are found in fungi, seaweed, and more often in plants. PAGs exhibit a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities and, as a result, the literature of these compounds has grown exponentially in recent years.

The first total synthesis of cytopiloyne, an anti-diabetic, polyacetylenic glucoside

The first total synthesis of cytopiloyne 1, a novel bioactive polyacetylenic glucoside isolated from the extract of Bidens pilosa, is described. The structure of cytopiloyne was determined to be 2-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy-1-hydroxytrideca-5,7,9,11-tetrayne by using various spectroscopic methods, but the chirality of the polyyne moiety was unknown. Herein, the convergent synthesis of two diastereomers of cytopiloyne by starting from commercially available 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-diozolane is described. The synthetic sequence involved two key steps: stereoselective glycosylation of the glucosyl trichloroacetimidate with 1-[(4-methoxybenzyl)oxy]hex-5-yn-2-ol to give the desired β-glycoside and the construction of the glucosyl tetrayne skeleton by using a palladium/silver-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction to form the alkyne-alkyne bond, the first such use of this reaction. Comparison between the observed and published characterization data showed the 2R isomer to be the natural product cytopiloyne.

Naturally occurring and synthetic polyyne glycosides

Polyyne glycosides are a class of natural products that have been found in terrestrial plants, fungi, and marine algae. Many display interesting and potentially useful biological activities, which in some cases has initiated synthetic efforts toward their formation. This review provides a comprehensive report of polyyne glycosides isolated from natural sources, as well as the synthesis of these molecules and their analogues.

A Short Synthesis of (S)-(+)-Siphonodiol

A short synthesis of the enantiomer of the polyacetylenic natural product siphonodiol is described. The synthesis is based on the strategy of taking advantage of the hidden symmetry of the target molecule and minimizing the use of protecting groups, thereby reducing the total number of steps and increasing the overall efficiency.

Polyyne synthesis using carbene/carbenoid rearrangements

Rearrangement of a carbene/carbenoid intermediate to form an acetylene moiety, known as the Fritsch-Buttenberg-Wiechell (FBW) rearrangement, was developed for the formation of polyynes and polyyne frameworks within highly conjugated organic materials. Necessary precursors can be prepared through formation of an alkynyl ketone, followed by dibromoolefination under Corey-Fuchs conditions. The carbenoid rearrangement is brought about by treatment of the dibromoolefin with BuLi under mild conditions. The success of these FBW reactions is quite solvent-dependent, and nonpolar hydrocarbon solvents (e.g., hexanes, toluene, benzene) work quite well, while use of ethereal solvents such as diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran (THF) does not provide the desired polyyne product. This protocol was successfully applied to the formation of silyl, alkyl, alkenyl, and aryl polyynes, including di-, tri-, and tetrayne products, as well as the construction of two-dimensional carbon-rich molecules. A one-pot variant of this procedure is being developed and is particularly applicable toward the synthesis of polyyne natural products. Formation of a series of triisopropylsilyl end-capped polyynes, from the triyne to decayne, was achieved. Third-order nonlinear optical properties of these polyynes were evaluated. This study shows that the molecular second hyperpolarizabilities for the polyynes as a function of length increase at a rate that is higher than all other nonaromatic organic oligomers.