Lewis Acid-Promoted Deoxygenative Di[β,β-bis(ethylthio)]vinylation of Aldehydes with Trimethylsilylketene Bis(ethylthio)acetal

Total Synthesis of Daphniphyllum Alkaloids: From Bicycles to Diversified Caged Structures

Native to the Asia-Pacific region and widely applied in traditional Chinese medicine, the genus Daphniphyllum has produced over 330 known Daphniphyllum alkaloids. Investigations into these alkaloids have shown an exceptional range of interesting bioactivities. Challenging and caged polycyclic architectures and the promising biological profiles make Daphniphyllum alkaloids intriguing synthetic targets. Based on their backbones, these alkaloids can be categorized into 13-35 structurally distinct subfamilies. In addition to our work, almost 30 impressive total syntheses of Daphniphyllum alkaloids from seven subfamilies, namely, daphniphylline-type, secodaphniphylline-type, daphnilactone A-type, bukittinggine-type, daphmanidin A-type, calyciphylline A-type, and calyciphylline B-type alkaloids, have been reported by 11 research groups. However, many Daphniphyllum alkaloid subfamilies remain inaccessible by chemical synthesis.In this Account, we summarize our recent endeavors in the total synthesis of Daphniphyllum alkaloids commencing from simple chiral bicyclic synthons. Daphniphyllum alkaloids with diversified skeletons from four different subfamilies, namely, calyciphylline A-type, daphnezomine A-type, bukittinggine-type, and yuzurimine-type alkaloids, have been achieved. Furthermore, the tricyclic core structure of daphniglaucin C-type alkaloids daphnimacropodines was also synthesized. First, we describe a 14-step synthesis of calyciphylline A-type alkaloid (-)-himalensine A, which features a mild Cu-mediated nitrile hydration, an intramolecular Heck reaction to assemble the pivotal 2-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane moiety, and a Meinwald rearrangement to introduce the critical oxidative state into the skeleton. We then introduce the synthesis of daphnezomine A-type alkaloid dapholdhamine B, which possesses a unique aza-adamantane core. This target molecule was fabricated using key reactions including Huang's amide-activation-annulation. An unexpected radical detosylation during the synthesis of dapholdhamine B further inspired an ambitious radical cyclization cascade strategy, which eventually led to an efficient total synthesis of bukittinggine-type alkaloid (-)-caldaphnidine O. This highly chemo-, regio-, and stereoselective radical reaction cascade also shed light on the synthetic strategy of other alkaloids with caged structures. We next describe the first total synthesis of yuzurimine-type alkaloid (+)-caldaphnidine J. The key steps in our approach include a Pd-catalyzed regioselective hydroformylation and a novel Swern oxidation/ketene dithioacetal Prins reaction cascade. The work has achieved the first synthesis of a member of the largest subfamily of Daphniphyllum alkaloids. Finally, we show our efforts toward the total synthesis of daphniglaucin C-type alkaloids. Overall, we hope that the interesting strategies and synthetic methods demonstrated in our efforts could inspire a wide variety of additional applications to natural product synthesis.

Asymmetric total synthesis of yuzurimine-type Daphniphyllum alkaloid (+)-caldaphnidine J

Ever since Hirata’s report of yuzurimine in 1966, nearly fifty yuzurimine-type alkaloids have been isolated, which formed the largest subfamily of the Daphniphyllum alkaloids. Despite extensive synthetic studies towards this synthetically challenging and biologically intriguing family, no total synthesis of any yuzurimine-type alkaloids has been achieved to date. Here, the first enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-caldaphnidine J, a highly complex yuzurimine-type Daphniphyllum alkaloid, is described. Key transformations of this approach include a highly regioselective Pd-catalyzed hydroformylation, a samarium(II)-mediated pinacol coupling, and a one-pot Swern oxidation/ketene dithioacetal Prins reaction. Our approach paves the way for the synthesis of other yuzurimine-type alkaloids and related natural products.

Despite being known for more than 50 years, yuzurimine-type alkaloids have not been accessed by total synthesis. Here, the authors report the first enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-Caldaphnidine J, a highly complex yuzurimine-type Daphniphyllum alkaloid.

Synergistic catalysis-induced ring-opening reactions of 2-substituted 3,4-dihydropyrans with α-oxoketene dithioacetals

Synergistic catalysis enables ring-opening reactions of 2-substituted 3,4-dihydropyrans with α-oxoketene dithioacetals to proceed very well.

Recent developments of ketene dithioacetal chemistry

Ketene dithioacetals are versatile intermediates in organic synthesis. Extensive research, since the last decade, has given rise to new prospects in their chemistry. The objective of this review is twofold: first, to highlight the new prospects in the chemistry of functionalized ketene dithioacetals, and second, to provide an intrinsic link between ketene dithioacetal groups and a variety of other functional groups, which has brought out many new facts that will assist in future designs.

Ethynyl Ketene-S,S-acetals: The Highly Reactive Electron-Rich Dienophiles and Applications in the Synthesis of 4-Functionalized Quinolines via a One-Pot Three-Component Reaction

An efficient synthetic method for 4-functionalized quinoline derivatives, 4-((1,3-dithian-2-ylidene)methyl)quinolines, has been developed. Mediated by trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, ethynyl ketene-S,S-acetals can react in a one-pot procedure with various arylamines and aldehydes under mild conditions to give the corresponding quinoline derivatives in good to high yields via a consecutive arylimine formation, regiospecific aza-Diels-Alder (Povarov) reaction, and reductive amination.

Acid-promoted reaction of trimethylsilylketene bis(ethylthio)acetal with imines. Synthesis of gamma,gamma-bis(ethylthio)allylamines

Acid-catalyzed reaction of silylketene dithioacetal 1 with iminium salts or imines 3b,d-h gave the corresponding gamma,gamma-bis(ethylthio)allylamines 2a-h or 5b,d-h in generally high yields. Similar reactions of 1 with (salicylidene)amines 6a-e afforded 4-amino-2,2-bis(ethylthio)chromans 8a-e in good to moderate yields.

The first synthesis of phosphonoacrolein. Application to Diels-Alder reaction as heterodiene

The first synthesis of phosphonoacrolein 3 was made in quantitative yield by acidic treatment of beta-ethoxy-alpha-(methoxymethyl)vinylphosphonate 2, derived from a beta-ethoxy-alpha-phosphonovinyl anion and MOMCl. The phosphonoacrolein 3 easily underwent a hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with electron-rich alkenes 4a-f or alkynes 9a-c under mild conditions, and phosphono-substituted pyrans 5a-d, 6e,f or pyranopyrans 11a-c were obtained in good to excellent yields. The reaction of 3 with cyclopentadiene and cyclohexadiene led to mixtures of [2 + 4] and [4 + 2] cycloadducts 7a, 8a and 7b, 8b in modest yields. The cycloaddition reaction between 3 and pyranopyran 13 or dibromocarbene and 13 resulted in [4 + 2] or [2 + 1] cycloadducts 14 or 15 in good yields.