Total synthesis of (+)-sieboldine a: evolution of a pinacol-terminated cyclization strategy

Expedient synthesis of l-heptose derived septacidin building blocks from l-glucose

Bacterial natural products containing heptosides such as septacidin represent interesting scaffolds for the development of drugs to combat antimicrobial resistance. However, very few synthetic strategies have been reported to grant access to these derivatives. Here, we have devised a synthetic pathway to l-glycero-l-glucoheptoside, a key building block en route to septacidin, directly from l-glucose. Importantly, we show that carbon homologation at C6, encompassing oxidation of the C6-OH followed by methylenation, is significantly influenced by the nature of the C4-moiety. In order to observe the effect of various patterns, namely azide (N3), p-methoxybenzyloxy (OPMB), and benzyloxy (OBn), a thorough analysis was conducted on the corresponding l-glucosides. The results unveiled a distinct trend where the efficiency of methylenation followed the trend OBn > OPMB > N3. Finally, the C6-alkene was dihydroxylated in the presence of osmium tetroxide to yield the expected l/d-glycero-l-glucoheptosides. The lead building block, which features a C-4 azide, was delivered as a phenyl thioglycoside. Added to the suitable masking of the 6,7-diol, this combination enables further functionalization to achieve versatile compounds of biological interest. The study insights into the interplay between substitution at C-4 and carbon homologation at C-6 provide valuable guidance for future endeavors in the synthesis of these carbohydrate molecules.

Asymmetric total synthesis strategies of halichlorine and pinnaic acid

Halichlorine and pinnaic acid are structurally related natural alkaloids isolated from different marine organisms. These two marine alkaloids bearing a 6-azaspiro[4.5]decane skeleton demonstrate a wide range of biological effects. It is this kind of unique structure and potentially valuable biological activity that have prompted strong synthetic interest, making it a research focus in recent years. Since the first total synthesis of halichlorine and pinnaic acid completed by Danishefsky's group, many groups have reported their outstanding synthesis methods especially the asymmetric synthesis strategies. This review summarizes the asymmetric synthesis strategies of halichlorine and pinnaic acid using a 6-azaspiro[4.5]decane skeleton as the key intermediate, which can provide some guidance for related work.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Sieboldine A and Analogues Thereof

An 11-step enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-sieboldine A (1) has been accomplished from (5R)-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-one (16), in which an intramolecular ketone/ester reductive coupling followed by one-pot acidic treatment to quickly construct the unique oxa-spiroacetal and a TsOH-catalyzed displacement to directly form the characteristic N-hydroxyazacyclononane ring successfully served as the key methodologies. Moreover, several full-skeleton analogues of 1 were also synthesized on the basis of the advanced intermediates, and their inhibitory effects on electric eel acetylcholinesterase were examined.

Exploring the Potential of 2-(2-Nitrophenyl)ethyl-Caged N-Hydroxysulfonamides for the Photoactivated Release of Nitroxyl (HNO)

The emergence of nitroxyl (HNO) as a biological signaling molecule is attracting increasing attention. HNO-based prodrugs show considerable potential in treating congestive heart failure, with HNO reacting rapidly with metal centers and protein-bound and free thiols. A new class of 2-(2-nitrophenyl)ethyl (2-NPE)-photocaged N-hydroxysulfonamides has been developed, and the mechanisms of photodecomposition have been investigated. Three photodecomposition pathways are observed: the desired concomitant C-O/N-S bond cleavage to generate HNO, sulfinate, and 2-nitrostyrene, C-O bond cleavage to give the parent sulfohydroxamic acid and 2-nitrostyrene, and O-N bond cleavage to release a sulfonamide and 2-nitrophenylacetaldehyde. Laser flash photolysis experiments provide support for a Norrish type II mechanism involving 1,5-hydrogen atom abstraction to generate an aci-nitro species. A mechanism is proposed in which the (Z)-aci-nitro intermediate undergoes either C-O bond cleavage to release RSO₂NHO(H), concerted C-O/N-S bond cleavage to generate sulfinate and HNO, or isomerization to the (E)-isomer prior to O-N bond cleavage. The pK_a of the N(H) of the N-hydroxysulfonamide plays a key role in determining whether C-O or concerted C-O/N-S bond cleavage occurs. Deprotonating this site favors the desired C-O/N-S bond cleavage at the expense of an increased level of undesired O-N bond cleavage. Triplet state quenchers have no effect on the observed photoproducts.

Diaryliodonium Salt-Based Synthesis of N-Alkoxyindolines and Further Insights into the Ishikawa Indole Synthesis

A diaryliodonium salt-based strategy enabled the first systematic synthesis of rarely accessible N-alkoxyindolines. Mechanistic analyses suggested that the reaction likely involves reductive elimination of iodobenzene from iodaoxazepine via a four-membered transition state, followed by Meisenheimer rearrangement. Substrates with N-carbamate protection afforded indole in a manner similar to that of the Ishikawa indole synthesis. Preinstallation of a stannyl group as an iodonium salt precursor greatly expanded the substrate scope, and further mechanistic insights are discussed.

Au(I)-Catalyzed Cyclization/Semipinacol Rearrangement Reaction of Allenes to Construct Quaternary Carbon-Containing Scaffolds

The development of methods toward the construction of quaternary carbon centers has been a hot topic in recent years. In this work, an Au(I)-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization/semipinacol rearrangement of allene-containing allylic silyl ether was developed to provide a direct strategy for the construction of multisubstituted cyclohexene-type compounds with a quaternary carbon center in moderate to good yields. In particular, this method provides an alternative synthetic strategy for the construction of a multisubstituted spirocyclo[4.5]decane skeleton and may be applied to the synthesis of related bioactive molecules and their derivatives, thus facilitating the corresponding functional studies.

Total Synthesis of Sieboldine A

Previously, we have finished the total synthesis of lycojaponicumin A (2) via development of an efficient synthetic strategy using semipinacol rearrangement as a key step. In order to further demonstrate the generality of this synthetic route, herein, we report the total synthesis of another fawcettimine-type alkaloid sieboldine A (1) from the same intermediate, which possesses an A/B/D tricyclic ring system and vicinal quaternary centers of 1. The synthesis features late-stage site-selective redox reactions, Schmidt glycosylation cyclization, and highly selective transformations.

Recent applications of the 1,2-carbon atom migration strategy in complex natural product total synthesis

1,2-Carbon atom rearrangement has been broadly applied as a guiding strategy in complex molecule assembly. As it entails the carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bond migration between two vicinal atoms, this type of reaction is capable of generating structural complexity through a molecular skeletal reorganization. This review will focus on recent employment of this strategy in the total synthesis of natural products, highlighting the exceptional utility of such synthetic methodologies in the construction of intricate carbocycles, heterocycles or structurally complex motifs from synthetically more accessible precursors.

Synthesis of cis-hydrindan-2,4-diones bearing an all-carbon quaternary center by a Danheiser annulation

A straightforward synthetic entry to functionalized hydrindane compounds based on a rapid assembly of the core nucleus by a Danheiser cycloaddition is reported. Valuable bicyclic building blocks containing the fused five and six-membered carbocyclic ring system can be achieved in only four steps from a simple acyclic β-keto ester.

Recent Advances in Substrate-Controlled Asymmetric Cyclization for Natural Product Synthesis

Asymmetric synthesis of naturally occurring diverse ring systems is an ongoing and challenging research topic. A large variety of remarkable reactions utilizing chiral substrates, auxiliaries, reagents, and catalysts have been intensively investigated. This review specifically describes recent advances in successful asymmetric cyclization reactions to generate cyclic architectures of various natural products in a substrate-controlled manner.

Asymmetric synthesis of (+)-17-epi-methoxy-kauran-3-one through tandem oxidative polycyclization-pinacol process

A synthesis of (+)-17-epi-methoxy-kauran-3-one, an O-methylated isomer of the natural diterpene 17-hydroxy-kauran-3-one, has been achieved. The strategy is based on a diastereoselective oxidative polycyclization-pinacol tandem process consisting of transforming a functionalized phenol into a compact and complex tetracycle, which represents the main core of kaurane family members. The synthesis also includes an enantioselective Yamamoto's allylation, a diastereoselective Ru-catalyzed hydrocyanation, a ring-closing metathesis and a reductive isomerization process as key steps. The structure of our synthetic substrate was determined through comparison with an O-methylated derivative of the natural compound.

Gold catalysis in total synthesis – recent achievements

The most recent achievements of gold catalysed transformations applied in total synthesis of natural products are reviewed and analysed.

Reagents for diverse iodosilane-mediated transformations

PhSiH₃–I₂ and PhSiH₃–NIS generate PhSiH₂I as a possible active species and cause diverse transformations.

Characterization of multiple fragmentation pathways initiated by collision-induced dissociation of multifunctional anions formed by deprotonation of 2-nitrobenzenesulfonylglycine

The correlation of anion structure with the fragmentation behavior of deprotonated nitrobenzenesulfonylamino acids was investigated using tandem mass spectrometry, isotopic labeling and computational methods. Four distinct fragmentation pathways resulting from the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of deprotonated 2-nitrobenzenesulfonylglycine (NsGly) were characterized. The unusual loss of the aryl nitro substituent as HONO was the lowest energy process. Subsequent successive losses of CO, HCN and SO2 indicated that an ortho cyclization reaction had accompanied loss of HONO. Other pathways involving rearrangement of the ionized sulfonamide group, dual bond cleavage and intramolecular nucleophilic displacement were proposed to account for the formation of phenoxide, arylsulfinate and arylsulfonamide product ions at higher collision energies. The four distinct fragmentation pathways were consistent with precursor-product relationships established by CID experiments, isotopic labeling results and the formation of analogous product ions from 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonylglycine and the Ns derivatives of alanine and 2-aminoisobutyric acid. The computations confirmed a low barrier for ortho cyclization with loss of HONO and feasible energetics for each reaction step in the four pathways. Computations also indicated that three of the fragmentation pathways started from NsGly ionized at the carboxyl group. Overall, the pathways identified for the fragmentation of the NsGly anion differed from processes reported for anions containing a single functional group, demonstrating the importance of functional group interactions in the fragmentation pathways of multifunctional anions.

Cyclopentannulation of conjugated enones using a vinyldiazomethane-based reagent

Herein, we describe a two-step method for the cyclopentannulation of conjugated enones using methyl 3-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-2-diazo-3-butenoate (1) as a bifunctional reagent. The enol silane and stabilized diazoalkane functionalities are exploited independently in sequential Mukaiyama-Michael and diastereoselective α,α'-diketone coupling. Di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted enones are amenable to annulation under this protocol. Overall, this chemistry is an effective surrogate for a substituted "acetone 1,3-dipole".

Collective synthesis of Lycopodium alkaloids and tautomer locking strategy for the total synthesis of (-)-lycojapodine A

The collective total synthesis of Lycopodium alkaloids (+)-fawcettimine (1), (+)-fawcettidine (2), (+)-alopecuridine (4), (-)-lycojapodine A (6), and (-)-8-deoxyserratinine (7) has been accomplished from a common precursor (15) based on a highly concise route inspired by the proposed biosynthesis of the fawcettimine- and serratinine-type alkaloids. An intramolecular C-alkylation enabled efficient installation of the challenging spiro quaternary carbon center and the aza-cyclononane ring. The preparation of the tricyclic skeleton as well as the establishment of the correct relative stereochemistry of the oxa-quaternary center were achieved by hydroxyl-directed SmI(2)-mediated pinacol couplings. An unprecedented tandem transannular N-alkylation and removal of a Boc group was discovered to realize a biosynthesis-inspired process to furnish the desired tetracyclic skeleton. Of particular note is the unique and crucial tautomer locking strategy employed to complete the enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-lycojapodine A (6). The central step in this synthesis is the late-stage hypervalent iodine oxidant (IBX or Dess-Martin periodinane)/TFA-mediated tandem process, which constructed the previously unknown carbinolamine lactone motif and enabled a biomimetic transformation to generate (-)-lycojapodine A (6) in a single operation.