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Song H, Zhang Z, Cao C, Tang Z, Gui J, Liu W. Biocatalytic Steroidal 9α-Hydroxylation and Fragmentation Enable the Concise Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of 9,10-Secosteroids. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202319624. [PMID: 38376063 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202319624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
9,10-Secosteroids are an important group of marine steroids with diverse biological activities. Herein, we report a chemoenzymatic strategy for the concise, modular, and scalable synthesis of ten naturally occurring 9,10-secosteroids from readily available steroids in three to eight steps. The key feature lies in utilizing a Rieske oxygenase-like 3-ketosteroid 9α-hydroxylase (KSH) as the biocatalyst to achieve efficient C9-C10 bond cleavage and A-ring aromatization of tetracyclic steroids through 9α-hydroxylation and fragmentation. With synthesized 9,10-secosteroides, structure-activity relationship was evaluated based on bioassays in terms of previously unexplored anti-infective activity. This study provides experimental evidence to support the hypothesis that the biosynthetic pathway through which 9,10-secosteroids are formed in nature shares a similar 9α-hydroxylation and fragmentation cascade. In addition to the development of a biomimetic approach for 9,10-secosteroid synthesis, this study highlights the great potential of chemoenzymatic strategies in chemical synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanxin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zeliang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Chunyang Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhijun Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Jinghan Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Wen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai, 200032, China
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2
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Wang Y, Gui J. Bioinspired Skeletal Reorganization Approach for the Synthesis of Steroid Natural Products. Acc Chem Res 2024. [PMID: 38301249 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
ConspectusSteroids, termed "keys to life" by Rupert Witzmann, have a wide variety of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antishock, immunosuppressive, stress-response-enhancing, and antifertility activities, and steroid research has made great contributions to drug discovery and development. According to a chart compiled by the Njardarson group at the University of Arizona, 15 of the top 200 small-molecule drugs (by retail sales in 2022) are steroid-related compounds. Therefore, synthetic and medicinal chemists have long pursued the chemical synthesis of steroid natural products (SNPs) with diverse architectures, and vital progress has been achieved, especially in the twentieth century. In fact, several chemists have been rewarded with a Nobel Prize for original contributions to the isolation of steroids, the elucidation of their structures and biosynthetic pathways, and their chemical synthesis. However, in contrast to classical steroids, which have a 6/6/6/5-tetracyclic framework, rearranged steroids (i.e., abeo-steroids and secosteroids), which are derived from classical steroids by reorganization of one or more C-C bonds of the tetracyclic skeleton, have started to gain attention from the synthetic community only in the last two decades. These unique rearranged steroids have complex frameworks with high oxidation states, are rich in stereogenic centers, and have attractive biological activities, rendering them popular yet formidable synthetic targets.Our group has a strong interest in the efficient synthesis of SNPs and, drawing inspiration from nature, we have found that bioinspired skeletal reorganization (BSR) is an efficient strategy for synthesizing challenging rearranged steroids. Using this strategy, we recently achieved concise syntheses of five different kinds of SNPs (cyclocitrinols, propindilactone G, bufospirostenin A, pinnigorgiol B, and sarocladione) with considerably rearranged skeletons; our work also enabled us to reassign the originally proposed structure of sarocladione. In this Account, we summarize the proposed biosyntheses of these SNPs and describe our BSR approach for the rapid construction of their core frameworks. In the work described herein, information gleaned from the proposed biosyntheses allowed us to develop routes for chemical synthesis. However, in several cases, the synthetic precursors that we used for our BSR approach differed substantially from the intermediates in the proposed biosyntheses, indicating the considerable challenges we encountered during this synthetic campaign. It is worth mentioning that during our pursuit of concise and scalable syntheses of these natural products, we developed two methods for accessing synthetically challenging targets: a method for rapid construction of bridged-ring molecules by means of point-to-planar chirality transfer and a method for efficient construction of macrocyclic molecules via a novel ruthenium-catalyzed endoperoxide fragmentation. Our syntheses vividly demonstrate that consideration of natural product biosynthesis can greatly facilitate chemical synthesis, and we expect that the BSR approach will find additional applications in the efficient syntheses of other structurally complex steroid and terpenoid natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jinghan Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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3
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Abstract
ConspectusSteroids continue to play a significant role in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery due to their important biological activities and diverse intriguing structures. Although synthetic organic chemists have successfully constructed and elaborated the classical [6-6-6-5] tetracyclic steroid skeleton for nearly a century, synthesis of the unusual rearranged steroids, particularly abeo-steroids with a medium-sized ring, remains a challenge in the synthetic community. Furthermore, the structures of abeo-steroids are complex and diverse, containing a seven-membered ring embedded in the fused or bridged A/B ring system and possessing numerous stereogenic centers. Besides their structural complexity, various abeo-steroids have shown remarkable biological activities. However, the relative scarcity of abeo-steroids in natural sources has impeded the systematic evaluation of their biological activities. In addition, direct strategies to build the core structures of abeo-steroids are very rare, partially because of the high ring-strain energies of their rearranged A/B ring systems. Therefore, the development of direct and efficient synthetic approaches to these complex molecules is highly desired.Our long-standing interest in the total synthesis of abeo-steroids and the development of new cycloaddition reactions for streamlining complex molecule synthesis have led us to develop a series of unique and powerful intramolecular cycloaddition strategies to access a diverse array of highly strained abeo-steroids. These strategies include Ru-catalyzed [5 + 2] cycloaddition, acid-promoted type I [5 + 2] cycloaddition, Rh-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition, and type II [5 + 2] cycloaddition. Since 2018, we have accomplished the first total syntheses of five synthetically challenging abeo-steroids, i.e., bufogargarizins A and B, phomarol, bufospirostenin A, and cyclocitrinol, thus facilitating the evaluation of their pharmacological potentials. In this Account, we summarize our laboratory's systematic efforts in the total synthesis of these abeo-steroids via cycloaddition strategies. We highlight the efficiency and versatility of each cycloaddition strategy for constructing structurally complex abeo-steroid cores by forming the A/B ring system. The evolution of each strategy and key lessons learned from the synthetic journey are also discussed. We believe that our unique perspective in this field will promote advances in the total synthesis of abeo- and related steroids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Min
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangming Advanced Research Institute, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Li-Ping Zhong
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangming Advanced Research Institute, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chuang-Chuang Li
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangming Advanced Research Institute, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
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Fu P, Liu T, Shen Y, Lei X, Xiao T, Chen P, Qiu D, Wang Z, Zhang Y. Divergent Total Syntheses of Illicium Sesquiterpenes through Late-Stage Skeletal Reorganization. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:18642-18648. [PMID: 37562030 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
We disclose unified, protecting-group-free, bioinspired divergent total syntheses of eight allo-cedrane and seco-prezizaane Illicium sesquiterpenes and formal syntheses of five anislactone sesquiterpenes. The efficiency of our approach derives from rapid access to the 15-carbon tricyclic carboxylic acid through cationic epoxide-ene cyclization and HAT oxygenation, transformation of this intermediate into three distinct tricyclic precursors via Lewis acid-mediated skeletal reorganizations, subsequent programmed oxidation level enhancement, and a biomimetic oxidation-initiated skeletal rearrangement cascade. Consequently, we created a synthetic correlation map of the three most prevalent Illicium sesquiterpene families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Tao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yang Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Xin Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Tianjie Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Peng Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Dongsheng Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Zhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
| | - Yandong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, iCHEM, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
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Zhong LP, Feng R, Wang JJ, Li CC. Asymmetric Total Synthesis of Twin Bufogargarizins A and B. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:2098-2103. [PMID: 36656917 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c13494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The first and asymmetric total synthesis of bufogargarizins A and B, two unusual and highly oxygenated twin steroids with rearranged A/B rings, was achieved. The synthetically challenging [7-5-6-5] tetracyclic ring system of bufogargarizin A was efficiently constructed by the first intramolecular Ru-catalyzed [5 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of a vinyl ether cyclopropane-yne. Notably, the interesting [5-7-6-5] tetracyclic skeleton of bufogargarizin B was diastereoselectively reassembled by unique retro-aldol/transannular aldol cascade reactions from the [7-5-6-5] tetracyclic framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ping Zhong
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Rui Feng
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Jing-Jing Wang
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Chuang-Chuang Li
- Shenzhen Grubbs Institute, Department of Chemistry, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
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Yang P, Li YY, Tian H, Qian GL, Wang Y, Hong X, Gui J. Syntheses of Bufospirostenin A and Ophiopogonol A by a Conformation-Controlled Transannular Prins Cyclization. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:17769-17775. [PMID: 36125970 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Controlling the conformation of medium-sized rings is challenging because of their flexibility and ring strain effects. Herein, we report non-Curtin-Hammett conditions for the precise control of the conformation of cyclodecenones to effect the first cis-selective transannular Prins cyclization, which enabled concise syntheses of the 5(10→1)abeo-steroids bufospirostenin A and ophiopogonol A in only seven steps from inexpensive starting materials. Computational results indicated that the key cyclization was kinetically controlled and proceeded via either a Prins pathway or a carbonyl-ene pathway, depending on the reaction conditions. Moreover, conformational isomerization played a critical role in determining the stereochemistry of the products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peicheng Yang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for TCM Chemical Biology, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry of Natural Substances, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yan-Yu Li
- Center of Chemistry for Frontier Technologies, Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Hailong Tian
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry of Natural Substances, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Gan-Lu Qian
- Center of Chemistry for Frontier Technologies, Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - Yun Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry of Natural Substances, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xin Hong
- Center of Chemistry for Frontier Technologies, Department of Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.,Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Zhongguancun North First Street No. 2, Beijing 100190, PR China.,Key Laboratory of Precise Synthesis of Functional Molecules of Zhejiang Province, School of Science, Westlake University, 18 Shilongshan Road, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jinghan Gui
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for TCM Chemical Biology, Innovation Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1200 Cailun Road, Shanghai 201203, China.,CAS Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry of Natural Substances, Center for Excellence in Molecular Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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7
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Long X, Li J, Gao F, Wu H, Deng J. Bioinspired Synthesis of Spirochensilide A from Lanosterol. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:16292-16297. [PMID: 36054904 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c07198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
A bioinspired synthesis of spirochensilide A from commercially available lanosterol is reported. The synthesis features a directed C-H oxidation, a Wagner-Meerwein-type double methyl migration, a Meinwald rearrangement, and a double-bond isomerization/spiroketal formation cascade. The proposed biosynthetic speculation was modified by this synthetic sequence, which also served as a platform for the synthesis of other lanostanes with migrating methyl groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianwen Long
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Feng Gao
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Hai Wu
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
| | - Jun Deng
- State Key Laboratory and Institute of Elemento-Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
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8
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Huang J, Cao T, Zhang Z, Yang Z. Semisynthesis of (-)-Bufospirostenin A Enabled by Photosantonin Rearrangement Reaction. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:2479-2483. [PMID: 35112846 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
An enantioselective semisynthesis of (-)-bufospirostenin A is described. The key steps in the synthesis involve use of our proposed biomimetic and diastereoselective photosantonin rearrangement reaction for construction of the 5/7 bicyclic motif, and a Co-catalyzed reversible double-bond isomerization reaction for installing the double bond in the seven-membered ring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics and Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Tingting Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics and Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhongchao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics and Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Zhen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Oncogenomics and Laboratory of Chemical Genomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China.,Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Science and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.,Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
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Gorobets E, Papatzimas JW, Dourado J, Yousefalizadeh G, Lee J, Brownsey DK, Stamplecoskie K, Davis R, Derksen DJ. A Vinylogous Norrish Reaction as a Strategy for Light-Mediated Ring Expansion. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:2910-2913. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cc00513a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The reactions of bicyclic divinyl ketones display wavelength-dependent changes in product formation. UV irradiation results in the formation of competitive [6,3,5] and [7,3,5] tricyclic unsaturated ketones that subsequently undergo ring...
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