Synthetic Study toward the Total Synthesis of Taxezopidines A and B

Strategies and Lessons Learned from Total Synthesis of Taxol

Taxol (paclitaxel), the most well-known taxane diterpenoid, is the best-selling natural-source anticancer drug ever produced and one of the most common prescriptions in the treatment of breast, lung, and ovarian cancers, saving countless lives around the world. Structurally, Taxol possesses a highly oxygenated [6-8-6-4] core bearing 11 stereocenters, seven of which are contiguous chiral centers. Moreover, the extremely strained bicyclo[5.3.1] undecane ring system with a bridgehead double bond is a unique structural feature. All these features make Taxol a highly challenging synthetic target. Tremendous synthetic efforts from more than 60 research groups around the world have already culminated in ten total syntheses and three formal syntheses, as well as more than 60 synthetic model studies of Taxol. This review is intended to provide a long-overdue appraisal of the great achievements in the total syntheses of Taxol reported in the last few decades. In doing so, we summarize the development of synthesis toward Taxol from 1994 to 2022, including the evolution of synthetic strategy for accessing this complex molecular scaffold and key lessons learned from such endeavors. Finally, we briefly discuss the future of the research in this area.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Taxol

Taxol is one of the most famous natural diterpenoids and an important anticancer medicine. Taxol represents a formidable synthetic challenge and has prompted significant interest from the synthetic community. However, in all the previous syntheses of Taxol, there have been no reports of closing the desired eight-membered ring through C1-C2 bond formation. Furthermore, the existence of Taxol-resistant tumors and side effects of Taxol make the development of new approaches to synthesize Taxol and its derivatives highly desirable. Here, we report the asymmetric total synthesis of Taxol using a concise approach through 19 isolated intermediates. The synthetically challenging eight-membered ring was constructed efficiently by a diastereoselective intramolecular SmI₂-mediated pinacol coupling reaction to form the C1-C2 bond. The unique biomimetic oxygen ene reaction and the newly developed facile tandem C2-benzoate formation and C13 side chain installation improved the efficiency of the synthesis. The mild oxygen ene reaction under light conditions would be an alternative reaction involved in Taxol biosynthesis. This new convergent approach will allow the diverse creation of Taxol derivatives to enable further biological research.

Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective 1,2-Reduction of Cycloalkenones

We report an asymmetric 1,2-reduction of cyclic α,β-unsaturated ketones to access various enantiomerically enriched cyclic allylic alcohols under mild conditions, catalyzed by in situ generated copper hydride ligated with (R)-DTBM-C₃*-TunePhos. α-Brominated cycloalkenones were reduced with excellent enantioselectivities of up to 98% ee, while substrates that were without α-substituents were reduced chemoselectively, with moderate enantioselectivities.

Synthetic applications of type II intramolecular cycloadditions

Type II intramolecular cycloadditions ([4+2], [4+3], [4+4] and [5+2]) have emerged recently as an efficient and powerful strategy for the construction of bridged ring systems. In general, type II cycloadditions provide access to a wide range of bridged bicyclo[m.n.1] ring systems with high regio- and diastereoselectivity in an easy and straightforward manner. In each section of this review, an overview of the corresponding type II cycloadditions is presented, which is followed by highlights of method development and synthetic applications in natural product synthesis. The goal of this review is to provide a survey of recent advances in the field covering literature up to 2020. The review will serve as a useful reference for organic chemists engaged in the total synthesis of natural products containing bridged bicyclo[m.n.1] ring systems and provide strong stimulus for invention and further advances in this exciting research field.

Strain-Activated Diels-Alder Trapping of 1,2-Cyclohexadienes: Intramolecular Capture by Pendent Furans

Intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions of substituted 1,2-cyclohexadienes with pendent furans enables the synthesis of complex tetracyclic scaffolds in a single step under mild conditions. All Diels-Alder cycloadducts were obtained as single diastereomers, assigned as the endo isomer. Substrates were easily assembled via Stork-Danheiser alkylation of 3-ethoxy-2-bromocyclohex-2-enone to accommodate a range of tethers and furan traps. Cleavage of enol acetate moieties resulted in room-temperature Diels-Alder cycloreversion to tethered furyl cyclohexenones.