Ring-closing metathesis of α-ester-substituted enol ethers: application to the shortest synthesis of KDO

A Fischer-Type Ruthenium Carbene Complex as a Metathesis Catalyst for the Synthesis of Enol Ethers

The Grubbs G-I or G-II catalyst gives the ruthenium ethoxy carbene complex, which catalyzes ring-opening cross metathesis (ROCM) of a strained cyclic alkene to give a diene where one of the two alkene moieties in the product contains an ethoxy substituent. No polymeric products are detected. Hydrocarbons such as parent norbornene or substituted cyclopropenes can proceed with the reaction smoothly. Tertiary amines, N-alkylimides, esters, and aryl or alkyl bromides remain intact under the reaction conditions. In addition to vinyl ethers, vinylic esters can also be used. The time required to reach a 50% yield of the ROCM product t₅₀ varies from 0.01 to 140 h depending on the strain and nucleophilicity of the double bond. Anchimeric participation of an electron-rich group would result in significant enhancement of the reactivity, and the t₅₀ could be as short as several minutes. A similar substrate without such a neighboring group shows a much slower rate. An exo-norborne derivative reacts much faster than the corresponding endo-isomer. Alkenes with poor nucleophilicity are less favored for the ROCM process, so is less strained cyclooctene.

Ethenolysis: A Green Catalytic Tool to Cleave Carbon-Carbon Double Bonds

Remarkable innovations have been made in the field of olefin metathesis due to the design and preparation of new catalysts. Ethenolysis, which is cross-metathesis with ethylene, represents one catalytic transformation that has been used with the purpose of cleaving internal carbon-carbon double bonds. The objectives were either the ring opening of cyclic olefins to produce dienes or the shortening of unsaturated hydrocarbon chains to degrade polymers or generate valuable shorter terminal olefins in a controlled manner. This Review summarizes several aspects of this reaction: the catalysts, their degradation in the presence of ethylene, some parameters driving their productivity, the side reactions, and the applications of ethenolysis in organic synthesis and in potential industrial applications.

Enzymatic synthesis of 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (KDO) and its application for LPS assembly

The studies of 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (KDO) have been hindered due to its limited availability. Herein, an efficient enzymatic system for the facile synthesis of KDO from easy-to-get starting materials is described. In this one-pot three-enzyme (OPME) system, d-ribulose 5-phosphate, which was prepared from d-xylose, was employed as starting materials. The reaction process involves the isomerization of d-ribulose 5-phosphate to d-arabinose 5-phosphate catalyzed by d-arabinose 5-phosphate isomerase (KdsD), the aldol condensation of d-arabinose 5-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) catalyzed by KDO 8-phosphate synthetase (KdsA), and the hydrolysis of KDO-8-phosphate catalyzed by KDO 8-phosphate phosphatase (KdsC). By using this OPME system, 72% isolated yield was obtained. The obtained KDO was further transferred to lipid A by KDO transferase from Escherichia coli (WaaA).

Strategies towards the synthesis of calyciphylline A-type Daphniphyllum alkaloids

The Daphniphyllum alkaloids are a diverse family of natural products rich in number and structural diversity that have been known for many decades. However, the structurally unique subclass of calyciphylline A-type alkaloids has only recently been discovered and is relatively unexplored. Several noteworthy core syntheses and the development of a wide range of novel synthetic strategies have been achieved. This includes strategies based on intramolecular Michael addition, Pd-catalysis, cycloaddition, and Mannich-type reactions. This review will provide an overview of these synthetic studies.

Preparation of a protected 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonate glycal donor for the synthesis of β-KDO-containing oligosaccharides

A practical method for the synthesis of KDO glycal donors was developed. The prepared KDO donors exhibited excellent disastereoselectivity of glycosylation in a CH2Cl2-CH3CN solvent mixture, which was found to be associated with the isopropylidene protection at the C-4 and C-5 hydroxyls. The synthetic use of the KDO donor was demonstrated in the preparation of β-KDO-containing oligosaccharides.

Ruthenium-catalyzed cross-metathesis with electron-rich phenyl vinyl sulfide enables access to 2,3-dideoxy-d-ribopyranose ring system donors

Microwave irradiation effectively accelerates the cross-metathesis reaction of 2-deoxy-d-ribose hydroxyalkene and derivatives with electron-rich phenyl vinyl sulfide using commercially available ruthenium-based catalysts, thus providing a flexible metal-mediated route to 2,3-dideoxy-d-ribopyranose ring system donors.

Synthesis of a pseudo-disaccharide library and its application to the characterisation of the heparanase catalytic site

A novel methodology is described for the efficient and divergent synthesis of pseudodisaccharides, molecules comprising of amino carbasugar analogues linked to natural sugars. The methodology is general and enables the introduction of diversity both at the carbasugar and the natural sugar components of the pseudodisaccharides. Using this approach, a series of pseudodisaccharides are synthesised that mimic the repeating backbone unit of heparan sulfate, and are tested for inhibition of heparanase, a disease-relevant enzyme that hydrolyses heparan sulfate. A new homology model of human heparanase is described based on a family 79 β-glucuronidase. This model is used to postulate a computational rationale for the observed activity of the different pseudodisaccharides and provide valuable information that informs the design of potential inhibitors of this enzyme.

Stereocontrolled cyanohydrin ether synthesis through chiral Brønsted acid-mediated vinyl ether hydrocyanation

Vinyl ethers can be protonated to generate oxocarbenium ions that react with Me3SiCN to form cyanohydrin alkyl ethers. Reactions that form racemic products proceed efficiently upon conversion of the vinyl ether to an α-chloro ether prior to cyanide addition in a pathway that proceeds through Brønsted acid-mediated chloride ionization. Enantiomerically enriched products can be accessed by directly protonating the vinyl ether with a chiral Brønsted acid to form a chiral ion pair. Me3SiCN acts as the nucleophile and PhOH serves as a stoichiometric proton source in a rare example of asymmetric bimolecular nucleophilic addition into an oxocarbenium ion. Computational studies have provided a model for the interaction between the catalyst and the oxocarbenium ion.

A Metathesis-Based Approach to the Synthesis of Furans

The enol ether-olefin ring-closing metathesis reaction has been employed to generate 2,3-dihydrofurans that are equipped with a leaving group. These substrates are at the correct oxidation state to undergo an acid-catalyzed aromatization, and this strategy has been utilized to provide a mild and rapid route (four steps) to a range of novel 2,5-disubstituted furans. [reaction: see text]

An In-Depth Study on Ring-Closing Metathesis of Carbohydrate-Derived α-Alkoxyacrylates: Efficient Syntheses of DAH, KDO, and 2-Deoxy-β-KDO

Novel, efficient synthetic pathways to DAH, KDO, and 2-deoxy-beta-KDO are described. Ring-closing metathesis (RCM) of highly functionalized alpha-alkoxyacrylate fragments resulted in a series of synthetically versatile oxygen heterocyclic intermediates. Further functionalization of the resulting enol ether double bond and subsequent deprotection provided the natural products in high overall yields, starting from commercially available protected sugars.