A New Stereocontrolled Total Synthesis of the Mast Cell Inhibitory Alkaloid, (+)-Monanchorin, via the Wittig Reaction of a Stabilized Ylide with a Cyclic Guanidine Hemiaminal

1,3-Diazepine: A privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry

Privileged structures have been widely used as effective templates for drug discovery. While benzo-1,4-diazepine constitutes the first historical example of such a structure, the 1,3 analogue is just as rich in terms of applications in medicinal chemistry. The 1,3-diazepine moiety is present in numerous biological active compounds including natural products, and is used to design compounds displaying a large range of biological activities. It is present in the clinically used anticancer compound pentostatin, in several recent FDA approved β-lactamase inhibitors (e.g., avibactam) and also in coformycin, a natural product known as a ring-expanded purine analogue displaying antiviral and anticancer activities. Several other 1,3-diazepine containing compounds have entered into clinical trials. This heterocyclic structure has been and is still widely used in medicinal chemistry to design enzyme inhibitors, GPCR ligands, and so forth. This review endeavours to highlight the main use of the 1,3-diazepine scaffold and its derivatives, and their applications in medicinal chemistry, drug design, and therapy. We will focus more particularly on the development of enzyme inhibitors incorporating this scaffold, with a strong emphasis on the molecular interactions involved in the inhibition mechanism.

One-Pot, Tandem Wittig Hydrogenation: Formal C(sp3)-C(sp3) Bond Formation with Extensive Scope

A one-pot, tandem Wittig hydrogenation of aldehydes with stabilized ylides is reported, representing a formal C(sp³)-C(sp³) bond construction. The tandem reaction operates under mild conditions, is high yielding, and is broad in scope. Chemoselectivity for olefin reduction is observed, and the methodology is demonstrated in the synthesis of lapatinib analogues and a formal synthesis of (±)-cuspareine. Early insights suggest that the chemoselectivity observed in the reduction step is due to partial poisoning of the catalyst, after step one, thus adding to the power of the one-pot procedure.

PhI(OAc)2-mediated dialkoxylation of 4-aminostyrenes through a dearomatization process under metal-free conditions

A PhI(OAc)₂-mediated dialkoxylation of 4-aminostyrenes has been developed to afford 2,3-disubstituted 1,4-dioxane or 1,2-dimethoxyethane derivatives.

The chemistry and biology of guanidine natural products

The present review discusses the isolation, structure determination, synthesis, biosynthesis and biological activities of secondary metabolites bearing a guanidine group.

De Novo Asymmetric Synthesis of (+)-Monanchorin

A de novo asymmetric total synthesis of the guanidine alkaloid natural product (+)-monanchorin has been achieved in nine steps from the commodity chemicals furan and caproic acid. The asymmetry of the route was introduced by a Noyori reduction of an acylfuran. In addition, this route relies upon an Achmatowicz rearrangement, a diastereoselective palladium catalyzed glycosylation, reductive amination, and an acid catalyzed bicyclic guanidine mixed acetal formation.

Ylide formal [4 + 1] annulation

Ylide [4 + 1] annulation: beyond small-ring formation.