Platinum(II)-Catalyzed Isomerization of Alkoxycyclopropanes to Alkylated Ketones

Unified Total Synthesis of the Limonoid Alkaloids: Strategies for the De Novo Synthesis of Highly Substituted Pyridine Scaffolds

Highly substituted pyridine scaffolds are found in many biologically active natural products and therapeutics. Accordingly, numerous complementary de novo approaches to obtain differentially substituted pyridines have been disclosed. This article delineates the evolution of the synthetic strategies designed to assemble the demanding tetrasubstituted pyridine core present in the limonoid alkaloids isolated from Xylocarpus granatum, including xylogranatopyridine B, granatumine A and related congeners. In addition, NMR calculations suggested structural misassignment of several limonoid alkaloids, and predicted their C3-epimers as the correct structures, which was further validated unequivocally through chemical synthesis. The materials produced in this study were evaluated for cytotoxicity, anti-oxidant effects, anti-inflammatory action, PTP1B and Nlrp3 inflammasome inhibition, which led to compelling anti-inflammatory activity and anti-oxidant effects being discovered.

Recent progress in the synthesis of limonoids and limonoid-like natural products

Recent progress in syntheses of limonoids and limonoid-like natural products is reviewed. The current “state-of-art” advance on novel synthetic strategy are summarized and future outlook will be presented.

The 6π-azaelectrocyclization of azatrienes. Synthetic applications in natural products, bioactive heterocycles, and related fields

Covering: 2006 to 2018 The application of the 6π-azaelectrocyclization of azatrienes as a key strategy for the synthesis of natural products, their analogs and related bioactive or biomedically-relevant compounds (from 2006 to date) is comprehensively reviewed. Details about reaction optimization studies, relevant reaction mechanisms and conditions are also discussed.

Theoretical Study on the Mechanism of Rearrangement Reactions of Bicyclic Derivatives of Cyclopropane to Monocyclic Derivatives under the Catalysis of Pt-Salt

In this paper, the mechanistic studies on the isomerization of hydroxyl and silyl derivatives of bicyclic cyclopropanes under the catalytic action of Zeise's salt have been reported. The catalytic activity of both the monomeric and the dimeric forms of Zeise's salt has been studied by applying the high-level quantum mechanical method. Results from this investigation reveal that the reaction goes favorably under the catalysis of the dimeric form of Zeise's salt. The calculated activation barrier for the catalytic process using Zeise's dimer reveals that the rearrangement occurs with an activation barrier of 19-25 kcal mol^-1. Depending on the nature of substituents present on the substrate, formation of various products has been explained. This study also includes the heteronuclear counter part of Zeise's dimer where one of the Pt-metals is replaced by palladium (Pd) and nickel (Ni) successively. The calculated activation barrier using these heteronuclear catalysts is found to be close enough to that calculated for the catalytic pathway using Zeise's dimer.

Total Synthesis of (-)-Xylogranatopyridine B via a Palladium-Catalyzed Oxidative Stannylation of Enones

We report a total synthesis of the pyridine-containing limonoid alkaloid (-)-xylogranatopyridine B in 11 steps from commercially available dihydrocarvone. The central pyridine ring was assembled by a late-stage fragment coupling approach employing a modified Liebeskind pyridine synthesis. One fragment was prepared by an allyl-palladium catalyzed oxidative enone β-stannylation, in which the key bimetallic β-stannyl palladium enolate intermediate undergoes a β-hydride elimination. This methodology also allowed introduction of alkyl and silyl groups to the β-position of enones.

Stereoselective synthesis of polypropionate units and heterocyclic compounds by cyclopropylcarbinol ring-opening with mercury(II) salts

The mercury(II)-mediated electrophilic ring-opening reaction of various cyclopropylcarbinol derivatives bearing adjacent stereocenters and a remote nucleophilic functional group provides a useful strategy for synthesizing compounds bearing several contiguous stereocenters. These highly diastereoselective reactions occur with anchimeric assistance by the internal nucleophilic moiety and afford synthetically valuable building blocks such as polypropionate units or heterocyclic compounds. The application of cyclopropylcarbinol ring-opening for the preparation of functionalized oxygen heterocycles in natural product synthesis is also outlined.

Palladium-catalyzed asymmetric arylation, vinylation, and allenylation of tert-cyclobutanols via enantioselective C-C bond cleavage

A novel enantioselective C-C bond cleavage has been achieved using palladium catalysts and chiral N,P-bidentate ligands in the asymmetric arylation, vinylation, and allenylation of tert-cyclobutanols. In these reactions, the enantioselective beta-carbon elimination of Pd(II) alcoholate formed in situ is the key step. Treatment of tert-cyclobutanols with arylating reagents in toluene in the presence of Pd(OAc)(2), a chiral ferrocene-containing N,P-bidentate ligand, and Cs(2)CO(3) affords optically active gamma-arylated ketones in excellent yields with high enantioselectivity (up to 95% ee). When vinylating reagents are used in place of arylating ones, the asymmetric vinylation also proceeds to afford optically active gamma-vinylated ketones in high yields with good to high enantioselectivity. When propargylic acetates are used, which are known to generate (sigma-allenyl)palladium complexes with Pd(0) species, asymmetric allenylation occurs to afford optically active gamma-allenylated ketones in moderate to good yields with moderate to high enantioselectivity.

Cyclizations of enynes catalyzed by PtCl2 or other transition metal chlorides: divergent reaction pathways

1-en-6-ynes react with alcohols or water in the presence of PtCl2 as catalyst to give carbocycles with alkoxy or hydroxy functional groups at the side chain. The reaction proceeds by anti attack of the alkene onto the (eta2-alkyne)platinum complex. The formation of the C-C and C-O bonds takes place stereoselectively by trans addition of the electrophile derived from the alkyne and the nucleophile to the double bond of the enyne. Formation of five- or six-membered carbo- or heterocycles could be obtained from 1-en-6-ynes depending on the substituents on the alkene or at the tether. Although more limited in scope, Ru(II) and Au(III) chlorides also give rise to alkoxy- or hydroxycyclization of enynes. On the basis of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, a cyclopropyl platinacarbene complex was found as the key intermediate in the process. In the presence of polar, nonnucleophilic solvents, 1-en-6-ynes are cycloisomerized with PtCl2 as catalyst. Formation of a platinacyclopentene intermediate is supported by DFT calculations. The reaction takes place by selective hydrogen abstraction of the trans-allylic substituent. Cycloisomerization of enynes containing disubstituted alkenes could be carried out using RuCl3 or Ru(AsPh3)4Cl2 in MeOH.

Oxidative transformation of tert-cyclobutanols by palladium catalysis under oxygen atmosphere

Palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative reaction of tert-cyclobutanols involving the cleavage of a C-C bond via beta-carbon elimination under atmospheric pressure of oxygen is described. An alkylpalladium intermediate produced by beta-carbon elimination from a Pd(II) alcoholate gives a variety of products, depending on the substituents on the cyclobutane ring, in which reactions such as dehydrogenative ring opening, ring expansion and ring contraction are involved. For some substrates, the addition of a catalytic amount of ethyl acrylate dramatically accelerates the reaction. In all cases, the dehydrogenative products are obtained and the Pd(II)-hydride species produced at the final stage can be converted again to active Pd(II) species by molecular oxygen.

Palladium-mediated ring opening of hydroxycyclopropanes

[reaction: see text] The palladium-mediated ring opening of substituted cyclopropanols has been found to take place predominantly at the less substituted C-C bond. Thus, sequential application of the titanium-mediated cyclopropanation of esters and the palladium-mediated ring opening of the resulting cyclopropanols provides a convenient method for functionalizing monosubstituted olefins.