Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Stephadiamine through Bioinspired Aza-Benzilic Acid Type Rearrangement

Total Synthesis of Metaphanine and Oxoepistephamiersine

Herein, we report a concise and divergent synthesis of the complex hasubanan alkaloids metaphanine and oxoepistephamiersine from commercially available and inexpensive cyclohexanedione monoethylene acetal. Our synthesis features a palladium-catalyzed cascade cyclization reaction to set the tricyclic carbon framework of the desired molecules, a regioselective Baeyer-Villiger oxidation followed by a MeNH2 triggered skeletal reorganization cascade to construct the benzannulated aza[4.4.3]propellane, and a strategically late-stage regio-/diastereoselective oxidative annulation of sp3 C-H bond to form the challenging THF ring system and hemiketal moiety in a single step. In addition, a highly enantioselective alkylation of cyclohexanedione monoethylene acetal paved the way for the asymmetric synthesis of target molecular.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Stephadiamine

An asymmetric synthesis of (+)-stephadiamine has been accomplished featuring (a) an enantioselective dearomatizative Michael addition to generate a quaternary stereocenter; (b) a domino sequence involving reductive generation of nitrone from γ-nitro ketone followed by a highly regio- and diastereo-selective intramolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition to construct the aza[4,3,3]propellane core with concurrent generation of two quaternary stereocenters and two functional groups ready for subsequent transformations; (c) the Curtius rearrangement of the sensitive α,α-disubstituted malonic acid mono ester for the installation of α,α-disubstituted amino ester moiety; (d) a benzylic C-H oxidation under photoredox catalytic conditions; and (e) a highly diastereoselective ketone reduction affording δ-hydroxyester preorganized for lactonization.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Hasubanan Alkaloids: Periglaucines A-C, N,O-Dimethyloxostephine and Oxostephabenine

We report herein the asymmetric total synthesis of periglaucines A-C, N,O-dimethyloxostephine and oxostephabenine. The key strategies used include: 1) a Rh^I -catalyzed regio- and diastereoselective Hayashi-Miyaura reaction to connect two necessary fragments; 2) an intramolecular photoenolization/Diels-Alder (PEDA) reaction to construct the highly functionalized tricyclic core skeleton bearing a quaternary center; 3) a bio-inspired intramolecular Michael addition and transannular acetalization to generate the aza[4.4.3]propellane and the tetrahydrofuran ring.

Total Synthesis of Yuzurine-type Alkaloid Daphgraciline

The first total synthesis of daphgraciline has been achieved, which also represents the first example of the synthesis of Daphniphyllum yuzurine-type alkaloids (∼50 members). The unique bridged azabicyclo[4.3.1] ring system in the yuzurine-type subfamily was efficiently and diastereoselectively assembled via a mild type II [5+2] cycloaddition for the first time. The compact tetracyclic [6-7-5-5] skeleton was installed efficiently via an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, followed by a benzilic acid-type rearrangement. The synthetically challenging spiro tetrahydropyran moiety in the final product was installed diastereoselectively via a Ti^III-mediated reductive epoxide coupling reaction. Potential access to enantioenriched daphgraciline is presented.

Ring contraction in synthesis of functionalized carbocycles

Carbocycles are a key and widely present structural motif in organic compounds. The construction of structurally intriguing carbocycles, such as highly-strained fused rings, spirocycles or highly-functionalized carbocycles with congested stereocenters, remains challenging in organic chemistry. Cyclopropanes, cyclobutanes and cyclopentanes within such carbocycles can be synthesized through ring contraction. These ring contractions involve re-arrangement of and/or small molecule extrusion from a parental ring, which is either a carbocycle or a heterocycle of larger size. This review provides an overview of synthetic methods for ring contractions to form cyclopropanes, cyclobutanes and cyclopentanes en route to structurally intriguing carbocycles.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of Cepharatines via Bioinspired Ring Reconstruction

We describe enantioselective total syntheses of cepharatines A-D, members of the hasubanan alkaloid family, which feature an unusual tetracyclic skeleton including an azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane motif. A key reaction is a regio-divergent oxidative phenolic coupling reaction that affords the tricyclic core structure of hasubanan with different substitution patterns on the A-ring, including the all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center at C13, in a single step. The characteristic tetracyclic azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane motif was constructed by means of a bioinspired cascade reaction involving the retro-aza-Michael reaction/hemiaminal formation.

Two Decades of Progress in the Asymmetric Intramolecular aza-Michael Reaction

The asymmetric intramolecular aza-Michael reaction (IMAMR) is a very convenient strategy for the generation of heterocycles bearing nitrogen-substituted stereocenters. Due to the ubiquitous presence of these skeletons in natural products, the IMAMR has found widespread applications in the total synthesis of alkaloids and biologically relevant compounds. The development of asymmetric versions of the IMAMR are quite recent, most of them reported in this century. The fundamental advances in this field involve the use of organocatalysts. Chiral imidazolidinones, diaryl prolinol derivatives, Cinchone-derived primary amines and quaternary ammonium salts, and BINOL-derived phosphoric acids account for the success of those methodologies. Moreover, the use of N-sulfinyl imines with a dual role, as nitrogen nucleophiles and as chiral auxiliaries, appeared as a versatile mode of performing the asymmetric IMAMR.

Diastereoselective desymmetrization reactions of prochiral para-quinamines with cyclopropenes generated in situ: access to fused hydroindol-5-one scaffolds

Interesting desymmetric [3 + 2] annulation reactions between p-quinamines as prochiral N-donors and 2-aroyl-1-chlorocyclopropanecarboxylates facilitated by a base are reported. This successive double Michael reaction delivered a unique class of cyclopropane-fused hydoindol-5-one frameworks, each having four contiguous stereogenic centers, with three of them being fully substituted. Moreover, this method was found to provide acceptable chemical yields with promising diastereoselectivities (dr of up to ≤95 : 5) and to work with a variety of substrates. Importantly, a polycyclic tacrine analogue used to treat Alzheimer's disease was synthesized using our developed method.

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Morpholinones Enabled by Aza-Benzilic Ester Rearrangement

Chiral morpholinone is an important building block in organic synthesis and a pharmacophore in medicinal chemistry. However, catalytic enantioselective methods for the construction of this N,O-heterocycle remain scarce. We report herein a chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of C3-substituted morpholinones from aryl/alkylglyoxals and 2-(arylamino)ethan-1-ols. The reaction proceeds through a domino [4 + 2] heteroannulation followed by a 1,2-aryl/alkyl shift of the resulting cyclic α-iminium hemiacetals. It represents formally an unprecedented asymmetric aza-benzilic ester rearrangement reaction. A concise synthesis of L-742,694, a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, featuring this reaction is documented.

Organocatalytic asymmetric synthesis of benzothiazolopyrimidines via a [4 + 2] cycloaddition of azlactones with 2-benzothiazolimines

A chiral guanidine-catalyzed [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 2-benzothiazolimines with azlactones characterized by a high yield, ee, and dr and a broad substrate scope has been developed. Gram-scale synthesis and derivatization of the product revealed the potential of utility.