Iterative approach to polycyclic ethers based on stereoselective oxonium ylide [2,3]-shifts

Electrochemical methoxymethylation of alcohols – a new, green and safe approach for the preparation of MOM ethers and other acetals

A novel electrochemical methodology was developed for preparing MOM ethers under safe, inexpensive and scalable conditions.

Total Synthesis of Unsymmetrically Oxidized Nuphar Thioalkaloids via Copper-Catalyzed Thiolane Assembly

An asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-6-hydroxythiobinupharidine (1b) and (-)-6-hydroxythionuphlutine (2b), a set of hemiaminal containing dimeric sesquiterpenes isolated from yellow water lilies of the Nuphar genus, is described. The central bis-spirocyclic tetrahydrothiophene ring was forged through the Stevens rearrangement of a sulfonium ylide, generated in situ from the coupling of a copper-carbene with a spirocyclic thietane. This strategy diverges both from the proposed biosynthesis1 and previous syntheses of this family of alkaloids,2,3 all of which employ dimerization of symmetric monomers to form the aforementioned thiaspirane. The coupling of unsymmetrical monomers allowed access to the unsymmetrically oxidized product 2b for the first time.

Au(I)-catalyzed synthesis of 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-enes and 9-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,6-dienes from enynol via oxonium/Prins-type cyclization

A sustainable and simple Au(I) catalytic system to synthesise 8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-enes and 9-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,6-dienes from enynol via oxonium/Prins-type cyclization is described. The key advantages of this reaction are selectivity, good functional group tolerance and a new approach for synthesis of oxabicyclic and oxatricyclic systems.

Highly stereoselective C-C bond formation by rhodium-catalyzed tandem ylide formation/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement between donor/acceptor carbenoids and chiral allylic alcohols

The tandem ylide formation/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement between donor/acceptor rhodium carbenoids and chiral allyl alcohols is a convergent C-C bond forming process, which generates two vicinal stereogenic centers. Any of the four possible stereoisomers can be selectively synthesized by appropriate combination of the chiral catalyst Rh(2)(DOSP)(4) and the chiral alcohol.

Competitive [2,3]- and [1,2]-oxonium ylide rearrangements. Concerted or stepwise?

The axial-equatorial conformational isomer distribution of the reactant diazoacetoacetate or its metal carbene intermediate is reflected in Rh(II) catalyzed oxonium ylide forming reactions of 3-(trans-2-arylvinyl)tetrahydropyranone-5-diazoacetoacetates that afford diastereoisomeric products for both the symmetry-allowed [2,3]- and the formally symmetry-forbidden [1,2]-oxonium ylide rearrangements.

Enantioselective C-C bond formation by rhodium-catalyzed tandem ylide formation/[2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement between donor/acceptor carbenoids and allylic alcohols

The rhodium-catalyzed reaction of racemic allyl alcohols with methyl phenyldiazoacetate or methyl styryldiazoacetate results in a two-step process, an initial oxonium ylide formation followed by a [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement. This process competes favorably with the more conventional O-H insertion chemistry as long as donor/acceptor carbenoids and highly substituted allyl alcohols are used as substrates. When the reactions are catalyzed by Rh(2)(S-DOSP)(4), tertiary alpha-hydroxycarboxylate derivatives with two adjacent quaternary centers are produced with high enantioselectivity (85-98% ee).

Convergent strategies for the total synthesis of polycyclic ether marine metabolites

Marine polycyclic ether natural products continue to fascinate chemists and biologists due to their exceptionally large and complex molecular architectures and potent and diverse biological activities. Tremendous progress has been made over the past decade toward the total synthesis of marine polycyclic ether natural products. In this area, a convergent strategy for assembling small fragments into an entire molecule always plays a key role in successful total synthesis. This review describes our efforts to develop convergent strategies for the synthesis of polycyclic ethers and their application to the total synthesis of gambierol, gymnocin-A, and brevenal, and to the partial synthesis of the central part of ciguatoxins and the nonacyclic polyether skeleton of gambieric acids.

[1,2]- or [2,3]-rearrangement of onium ylides of allyl and benzyl ethers and sulfides via in situ-generated iodonium ylides

Iodonium ylides, generated in situ with bisacetoxyiodobenzene, are converted to allyl- or benzyl-substituted oxonium or sulfonium ylides via rhodium- or copper-catalyzed carbene transfer. Except for the S-benzyl example, the resulting ylides undergo rearrangement to the corresponding 2-substituted heterocycles. This demonstrates the first use of iodonium ylides as diazoketone surrogates for the generation and rearrangement of onium ylide intermediates. This abbreviated one-step method proceeds in comparable yields relative to the corresponding two-step route employing diazoketone intermediates.

Polycyclic oxonium ylides — Use of cyclic acetals as convenient scaffolds in the construction of fused bicyclic compounds containing a medium ring

Cyclic mixed acetals with pendant diazoketone side chains undergo efficient rearrangement to ether-bridged cyclooctanoid and cycloheptanoid systems upon treatment with Cu(hfacac)2. Stevens [1,2]-shift of an oxonium ylide furnishes the major product, in some cases accompanied by minor amounts of a product resulting from [1,2]-shift of a sulfonium ylide. These results demonstrate that hetero-substituted carbons are suitable migrating groups for the Stevens [1,2]-shift of oxonium ylides. In cases employing a mixed thioacetal, the resulting sulfide served as a trigger for cleavage of the bridging ether through one of two complementary strategies. In the hydrazulene series, the desired bicyclo[5.3.0]heptene was accompanied by the product of novel transannular SN2′ attack on the resulting allylic ketal.Key words: [1,2]-shift, diazo, medium-sized ring, oxonium ylide, ring expansion.

Total Synthesis of Gambierol: The Generation of the A–C and F–H Subunits by Using a C-Glycoside Centered Strategy

Gambierol, a representative of the marine ladder toxin family, consists of eight ether rings, 18 stereocenters, and two challenging pyranyl rings having methyl groups that are in a 1,3-diaxial orientation to one another. Herein we describe the generation of gambierol's A-C and F-H ring systems and demonstrate the versatility of the glycosyl anhydride, enol ether-olefin RCM strategy to fused polycyclic ethers. This work has both enabled us to generate sufficient quantities of the gambierol precursors and has enabled us to better understand the chemical transformations that were key to these efforts. Fundamental work included efforts to C-glycosides and C-ketosides, Claisen rearrangements, and enol ether-olefin RCM reactions.

A flexible approach toward trans-fused polycyclic tetrahydropyrans. A synthesis of prymnesin and yessotoxin units

Ru-catalyzed cycloisomerization and oxidative cyclization of bis-homopropargylic alcohols provide a rapid iterative approach to structural units of the ladder toxins.

Effect of double bonds on the conducting properties of ciguatoxin 3C and tetrahydropyrane-based polymers: a theoretical study

The electronic structure of the ciguatoxin 3C is analyzed through the Kohn-Sham model by using two different kinds of basis sets: localized basis set (Gaussian functions) and nonlocalized basis set (plane wave functions). With the localized basis functions, two approximations are used for the exchange-correlation functional: the local density approximation and the generalized gradient approximation. With the nonlocalized basis set, just the local density approximation is used. The energy gap, obtained from the frontier molecular orbitals, for this molecule predicts that this system is a semiconductor, even when the number of double bonds is increased inside the structure. However, as large molecules built with the basic unit--the tetrahydropyrane--of the ciguatoxin 3C are found in nature, it suggests studying the gap in polymeric systems built with the basic unit of this molecule. It is demonstrated that the presence of double bonds reduces considerably the gap, indicating the possibility of forming conducting materials by introducing double bonds in this kind of molecular systems. Thus, molecules strongly linked with biological systems can be used as precursor to build electric conducting systems.

A Concise and Stereoselective Synthesis of the A-Ring Fragment of the Gambieric Acids

The A-ring fragment of the gambieric acids has been prepared by a short and efficient route. The key 3(2H)-furanone intermediate has been obtained by [2,3] rearrangement of an allylic oxonium ylide generated from intramolecular reaction of a crotyl ether with a copper carbenoid. A single stereogenic center has been set by using a chiral pool starting material and the other three have been established by using highly diastereoselective substrate-controlled transformations. [reaction--see text]

Catalyst and Ring Size Effects on Periselectivity of Oxonium Ylide Rearrangements

Diazoketones were subjected to carbene-transfer with Rh(II) or Cu(II) catalysts to probe the selectivity for rearrangement via five- or six-membered oxonium ylides. 4,5-Bis(benzyloxy) and 4-allyloxy-5-benzyloxy substrates 3a,b showed a large preference for rearrangement via the five-membered ylide under all conditions. However, a sharp divergence was seen with 5-allyloxy-4-benzyloxy substrate 3c, which underwent predominantly a [2,3]-shift to pyran 5c via the six-membered ylide with Cu(II) catalysis and a [1,2]-shift to furan 4c via the five-membered ylide with Rh(II) catalysis.

Carbon−Carbon Bond Formation Reaction of Ethereal Oxonium Ylides via Metal−Enolate Intermediates

First, the carbon-carbon (C-C) bond-forming reaction of aldehydes with bicyclo[m.n.0]-1-oxonium ylides was studied as the ylide was transiently formed in the Rh(II)-catalyzed reaction of a nonenolizable diazoketone, namely, 2-(3-diazo-1,1-dimethyl-2-oxopropyl)-2-methyldioxolane (1). The reaction of 1 with benzaldehyde in the presence of ClTi(Oi-Pr)3 gave the three-carbon, ring-enlarged, and C-C-bonded product 2a (53%). Second, enolizable diazoketone 5 bearing no methyl substituents at the alpha-position was studied under similar catalytic conditions, and the ring-enlarged and C-C-bonded products 19a and 20a were also formed (87%) when titanium compound ClTi(Oi-Pr)3 or Ti(Oi-Pr)4 was used. Similar reactions of diazoketones 27, 29, and 31 bearing a cyclic acetal ring and a longer tethering chain than 5 gave C-C-bonded products 28 (74%), 30 (8%), and 32 and 33 (overall 48%), respectively, albeit 28 and 30 possessed a spiro bisacetal structure. Thus, the hitherto unclarified C-C bond formation of ethereal oxonium ylides with carbonyl electrophiles was realized with the use of an appropriate Lewis acid, for example, ClTi(Oi-Pr)3.

Cyclooctanoid Ring Systems from Mixed Acetals via Heteroatom-Assisted [1,2]-Shift of Oxonium Ylides

Cyclic mixed acetals with pendant diazoketone side chains undergo efficient rearrangement to ether-bridged cyclooctanoid systems upon treatment with Cu(hfacac)2. This result demonstrates that heterosubstituted carbons are suitable migrating groups for the Stevens [1,2]-shift of oxonium ylides. In the case of a mixed thioacetal, the resulting sulfide served as a trigger for cleavage of the bridging ether through one of two complementary strategies, furnishing a bicyclo[6.3.0]octene product with an angular hydroxyl group.

Synthesis of an F-H gambierol subunit using a C-glycoside-centered strategy

[structure: see text] This manuscript describes our synthesis of the F-H subunit of gambierol. In addition to the synthesis of the tricycle, of note is an interesting protecting group influence on the generation of a C(23) C-glycoside as well as the use of ring-closing metathesis to generate a tetrasubstituted enol ether.