Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (−)-Linderol A

Chemistry of 3-hydroxy-2-aryl acrylate: syntheses, mechanisms, and applications

3-Hydroxy-2-aryl acrylate is important scaffold which is widely used for the synthesis of pharmacologically active compounds. This review summarises the synthetic methods of the 3-hydroxy-2-aryl acrylate including mechanisms and applications.

Bio-inspired enantioselective total syntheses of (-)-viminalins A, B, H, I, and N and structural reassignment of (-)-viminalin M

Bio-inspired enantioselective total syntheses of (-)-viminalins A, B, H, I, and N, isolated from the Myrtaceae family, were accomplished in a convergent fashion in 5, 5, 1, 1, and 3 steps, respectively. A highly regio- and diastereoselective oxidative [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of acylphloroglucinols with α-phellandrene, diastereoselective modified Friedel-Crafts reaction of acylphloroglucinols with piperetol, and stereoselective epoxidation of extremely hindered β-face were described as key reactions.

Divergent Reactivity during the Trapping of Benzynes by Glycidol Analogs: Ring Cleavage via Pinacol-Like Rearrangements vs Oxirane Fragmentations

Hydroxy-containing cyclic ethers react with thermally generated benzynes to produce aryl ethers. Diverse reactivity was observed. Cleavage of the cyclic ether was involved in most of the pathways. The transformations are rationalized via initial formation of oxonium ion-containing 1,3-zwitterions arising from preferential nucleophilic attack on the benzyne by the ether oxygen. Pinacol-like rearrangements, including ring expansion, to yield aldehydes or ketones and oxirane fragmentations to generate aryl enol ethers were main competing events.

Synthetic approaches to natural products containing 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran skeleton

This review describes the synthetic approaches to natural products containing the 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (2,3-DHB) skeleton.

Photochemical Approaches to Complex Chemotypes: Applications in Natural Product Synthesis

The use of photochemical transformations is a powerful strategy that allows for the formation of a high degree of molecular complexity from relatively simple building blocks in a single step. A central feature of all light-promoted transformations is the involvement of electronically excited states, generated upon absorption of photons. This produces transient reactive intermediates and significantly alters the reactivity of a chemical compound. The input of energy provided by light thus offers a means to produce strained and unique target compounds that cannot be assembled using thermal protocols. This review aims at highlighting photochemical transformations as a tool for rapidly accessing structurally and stereochemically diverse scaffolds. Synthetic designs based on photochemical transformations have the potential to afford complex polycyclic carbon skeletons with impressive efficiency, which are of high value in total synthesis.

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Cyclobutanes by Olefin [2 + 2] Photocycloaddition Reactions

The [2 + 2] photocycloaddition is undisputedly the most important and most frequently used photochemical reaction. In this review, it is attempted to cover all recent aspects of [2 + 2] photocycloaddition chemistry with an emphasis on synthetically relevant, regio-, and stereoselective reactions. The review aims to comprehensively discuss relevant work, which was done in the field in the last 20 years (i.e., from 1995 to 2015). Organization of the data follows a subdivision according to mechanism and substrate classes. Cu(I) and PET (photoinduced electron transfer) catalysis are treated separately in sections 2 and 4 , whereas the vast majority of photocycloaddition reactions which occur by direct excitation or sensitization are divided within section 3 into individual subsections according to the photochemically excited olefin.

Reaction of 2a,8b-Dihydrobenzo[b]cyclobute[d]pyran-3-ones with Dimethylsulfoxonium Methylide

Using dimethylsulfoxonium methylide as the methylene transfer reagent, 2a,8b-dihydrobenzo[b]cyclobute[d]pyran-3-ones were converted into 2,2'-biphenol derivatives as major products and dihydrodibenzofurans as minor products. The reaction mechanism was extrapolated from a deuteration experiment with CD2=S(O)(CD3)2.

Synthesis of Biheterocycles Based on Quinolinone, Chromone, and Coumarin Scaffolds by Palladium-Catalyzed Decarboxylative Couplings

An efficient Pd-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling of heterocyclic carboxylic acids with heterocyclic halides to achieve the synthesis of biheterocycles of biological interest has been reported. In all cases, the cross-coupling reactions take place rapidly in DMSO in good yields and efficiently proceed in the presence of a PdBr2/DPEphos catalytic system, furnishing the novel biheterocycles based on quinolin-4-one, quinolin-2-one, chromone, and coumarin scaffolds.

Photochemical reactions as key steps in natural product synthesis

Photochemical reactions contribute in a significant way to the existing repertoire of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions by allowing access to exceptional molecular structures that cannot be obtained by conventional means. In this Review, the most important photochemical transformations that have been employed in natural product synthesis are presented. Selected total syntheses are discussed as examples, with particular attention given to the photochemical key step and its stereoselectivity. The structural relationship between the photochemically generated molecule and the natural product is shown, and, where necessary, the consecutive reactions in the synthesis are illustrated and classified.