Sequential Cycloaddition Approach to the Tricyclic Core of Vibsanin E. Total Synthesis of (±)-5-epi-10-epi-Vibsanin E

Vibsane-type Diterpenoids: Structures, Derivatives, Bioactivities, and Synthesis

Vibsane-type diterpenoids isolated from the genus Viburnum , are rare 6-11 membered ring polysubstituted macrocyclic diterpenoids. Since the first report of vibsane from V. odoratissimum in 1980, they have attracted the attention of scientists due to their complex structures, excellent biological activities, and great synthetic challenges. Recently, there are some notable research achievements on the discovery, synthesis, structural modification, and pharmacological mechanism of vibsane-type diterpenoids. Therefore, we will focus on these aspects to review important achievements of vibsane diterpenoids between 1980-2021.

Library construction of stereochemically diverse isomers of spirooliganin: their total synthesis and antiviral activity

The construction of libraries of stereoisomers of natural products serves as an important approach to investigating the correlation between the stereostructure and biological activity. However, the total synthesis and isomerzation of polycyclic scaffolds with multiple chrial centers are rare. Spirooliganin (1), a new skeleton natural product isolated from the plant Illicium oligandrum, was structurally characterized by comprehensive analysis of NMR spectroscopic data and ECD which revealed an unprecedented 5-6-6-6-7 polycyclic framework with six chiral centers. Here we report a 17-step total synthesis to prepare a library of stereochemically diverse isomers of spirooliganin, including 16 diastereoisomers and 16 regioisomers. In addition to a regioselective hetero-Diels-Alder cycloaddition, the synthetic strategy involves a photo-induced stereoselective Diels-Alder reaction, which gives only the abnormal trans-fused product as rationalized by density functional theory calculations. Preliminary biological evaluation showed that spirooliganin and regioisomers 39 exhibited potent inhibition of Coxsackievirus B3. It also revealed the pharmacophore effect of the D-ring (16R,18R,24R, and 26R) for their antiviral activities.

Biomimetic Approaches to the Synthesis of Natural Disesquiterpenoids: An Update

Natural disesquiterpenoids represent a small group of secondary metabolites characterized by complex molecular scaffolds and interesting pharmacological profiles. In the last decade, more than 400 new disesquiterpenoids have been discovered and fully characterized, pointing out once more the "magic touch" of nature in the design of new compounds. The perfect blend of complex and unique architectures and biological activity has made sesquiterpene dimers an attractive and challenging synthetic target, inspiring organic chemists to find new and biomimetic approaches to replicate the efficiency and the selectivity of natural processes under laboratory conditions. In this work, we present a review covering the literature from 2010 to 2020 reporting all the efforts made in the total synthesis of complex natural disesquiterpenoids.

The Future of Retrosynthesis and Synthetic Planning: Algorithmic, Humanistic or the Interplay?

The practice of deploying and teaching retrosynthesis is on the cusp of considerable change, which in turn forces practitioners and educators to contemplate whether this impending change will advance or erode the efficiency and elegance of organic synthesis in the future. A short treatise is presented herein that covers the concept of retrosynthesis, along with exemplified methods and theories, and an attempt to comprehend the impact of artificial intelligence in an era when freely and commercially available retrosynthetic and forward synthesis planning programs are increasingly prevalent. Will the computer ever compete with human retrosynthetic design and the art of organic synthesis?

Photochemical syntheses, transformations, and bioorthogonal chemistry of trans-cycloheptene and sila trans-cycloheptene Ag(i) complexes

A photochemical synthesis of AgNO3 complexes of trans-cycloheptene (TCH) and trans-1-sila-4-cycloheptene (Si-TCH) derivatives is described. A low temperature flow photoreactor was designed to enable the synthesis of carbocyclic TCH derivatives due to their thermal sensitivity in the absence of metal coordination. Unlike the free carbocycles, TCH·AgNO3 complexes can be handled at rt and stored for weeks in the freezer (-18 °C). Si-TCH·AgNO3 complexes are especially robust, and are bench stable for days at rt, and for months in the freezer. X-ray crystallography was used to characterize a Si-TCH·AgNO3 complex for the first time. With decomplexation of AgNO3in situ, metal-free TCO and Si-TCH derivatives can engage in a range of cycloaddition reactions as well as dihydroxylation reactions. Computation was used to predict that Si-TCH would engage in bioorthogonal reactions that are more rapid than the most reactive trans-cyclooctenes. Metal-free Si-TCH derivatives were shown to display good stability in solution, and to engage in the fastest bioorthogonal reaction reported to date (k2 1.14 × 107 M-1 s-1 in 9 : 1 H2O : MeOH). Utility in bioorthogonal protein labeling in live cells is described, including labeling of GFP with an unnatural tetrazine-containing amino acid. The reactivity and specificity of the Si-TCH reagents with tetrazines in live mammalian cells was also evaluated using the HaloTag platform. The cell labeling experiments show that Si-TCH derivatives are best suited as probe molecules in the cellular environment.

Application of (4+3) cycloaddition strategies in the synthesis of natural products

This review summarizes the applications of (4+3) cycloadditions, both classical and formal, in the syntheses of natural products in the last two decades.

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 applications of the divinylcyclopropane-cycloheptadiene rearrangement in organic synthesis

This review summarizes the application of the divinylcyclopropane–cycloheptadiene rearrangement in synthetic organic chemistry. A brief overview of the new mechanistic insights concerning the title reaction is provided as well as a condensed account on the biological relevance of the topic. Heteroatom variants of this rearrangement are covered briefly.

A cooperative water effect in proazaphosphatrane-catalysed heterocycle synthesis

Water activated isocyanide is deprotonated by the organosuperbase proazaphosphatrane; no deprotonation of water could be observed.

Sequential rhodium-, silver-, and gold-catalyzed synthesis of fused dihydrofurans

A triple cascade process was developed for the rapid synthesis of polycyclic benzo-fused dihydrofurans. The first step is a rhodium-catalyzed cyclopropanation of α-aryldiazoketones with alkenes. This is followed by a silver-catalyzed ring expansion to dihydrofurans, which then undergo a gold-catalyzed cyclization to form benzo-fused dihydrofurans.

Synthesis of phototrappable shape-shifting molecules for adaptive guest binding

We have designed and synthesized oligosubstituted bullvalenes 1 and 2 as adaptive molecules that can change their shapes in order to bind tightly to a suitable guest. By incorporation of a photolabile o-nitroveratryloxycarbonate (NVOC) group into bullvalenes 1 and 2, tightly binding species can be selectively isolated from a population of hundreds of interconverting structural isomers. Spontaneous strain-assisted Cope rearrangements allow these shape-shifting molecules to exist in a dynamic equilibrium of configurationally distinct valence isomers, as revealed by dynamic NMR and HPLC studies. When NVOC bullvalenes 1 and 2 were exposed to UV light, the cleavage of the NVOC group resulted in a mixture of static isomers of the corresponding bullvalone. Binding studies of NVOC bisporphyrin bullvalene 1 demonstrated that the dynamic isomeric equilibrium shifted in the presence of C(60), favoring configurations with more favorable binding affinities. Irradiation of a mixture of 1 and C(60) with UV light and isolation of the major static isomer yielded an isomer of bisporphyrin bullvalone with a binding affinity for C(60) that was ∼2 times larger than that of the nonadapted isomer bisporphyrin bullvalone 41.

Asymmetric [4 + 3] cycloadditions between vinylcarbenoids and dienes: application to the total synthesis of the natural product (-)-5-epi-vibsanin E

The total synthesis of (-)-5-epi-vibsanin E (2) has been achieved in 18 steps. The synthesis combines the rhodium-catalyzed [4 + 3] cycloaddition between a vinylcarbenoid and a diene to rapidly generate the tricyclic core with an effective end game strategy to introduce the remaining side-chains. The [4 + 3] cycloaddition occurs by a cyclopropanation to form a divinylcyclopropane followed by a Cope rearrangement to form a cycloheptadiene. The quaternary stereogenic center generated in the process can be obtained with high asymmetric induction when the reaction is catalyzed by the chiral dirhodium complex, Rh(2)(S-PTAD)(4).

Enantioselective reactions of donor/acceptor carbenoids derived from alpha-aryl-alpha-diazoketones

The reaction of a variety of alpha-aryl-alpha-diazo ketones with activated olefins, catalyzed by the adamantyl glycine-derived dirhodium complex Rh(2)(S-PTAD)(4), generates cyclopropyl ketones with high diastereoselectivity (up to >95:5 dr) and enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee). Intermolecular C-H functionalization of 1,4-cyclohexadiene by means of carbenoid-induced C-H insertion was also possible with this type of carbenoid.

Total Synthesis of (±)-Vibsanin E

Vibsanin E (1), a structurally rare complex diterpene, consisting of a compact 3-oxatricyclo[6.3.2.05,10] tridecane core and an unprecedented 3,3-dimethylacroyl enol ester functional group, formulate a considerable synthetic challenge. Williams and Davies failed to independently synthesize this nemesis, however, a ‘two heads are better than one’ approach delivered the first total synthesis of the molecule, since its diamond aniversary isolation.

End game strategies towards the total synthesis of vibsanin E, 3-hydroxyvibsanin E, furanovibsanin A, and 3-O-methylfuranovibsanin A

End game synthetic strategy studies towards the total synthesis of the vibsanin type diterpenes, vibsanin E, 3-hydroxyvibsanin E, furanovibsanin A, and 3-O-methylfuranovibsanin A are discussed, with focus on construction of the side chain and peripheral functionality associated with this group of natural products is the current focus of this report.

Mechanistic Studies of UV Assisted [4 + 2] Cycloadditions in Synthetic Efforts toward Vibsanin E

Quantum chemical DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level have been used to study the stereochemical course of the photochemical cycloaddition of enone 9 with dienes. The observed products of this photochemically induced cycloaddition showed a stereoselectivity, which is opposite to what would be expected by FMO considerations. The quantum chemical calculations revealed that the unusual stereoselectivity of the reaction can be rationalized by assuming a stereospecific photochemical cis-trans isomerization of enone 9 to trans isomer 9a followed by a thermal Diels-Alder reaction of the diene onto the highly reactive trans enone. The photochemical reaction step involves the selective formation of a twisted triplet intermediate, which accounts for the selectivity of the reaction.