An iodoetherification-dehydroiodination strategy for the synthesis of complex spiroketals from dihydroxyalkene precursors

Synthesis of [n,5]-spiroketals by ring enlargement of donor-acceptor-substituted cyclopropane derivatives

Exocyclic enol ethers served as starting materials for the synthesis of [n,5]-spiroketals (n = 5, 6). A metal-mediated cyclopropanation using ethyl diazoacetate afforded spiroannelated cyclopropane derivatives bearing an ester group. A reduction of the corresponding ester by LiAlH(4), followed by subsequent oxidation using hypervalent iodine reagents, produced [n,5]-spiroketals in moderate to good yields. The key step within this three-step sequence is the ring enlargement of the three-membered ring with an oxygen donor and a carbonyl acceptor group into the five-membered enol ether system. Catalytic amounts of the Lewis acid Yb(OTf)(3) facilitate the ring enlargement and increase the yield of the corresponding spiroketal in many cases. When Yb(OTf)(3) was used, our experiments revealed an open transition state rather than a concerted mechanism because the stereochemistry of the spirocenter was not conserved during the ring enlargement. As a result, the thermodynamically more favored anomeric [n,5]-spiroketal was observed as the major product. All the structures were established unambiguously by NOESY experiments.

Olefin metathesis-iodoetherification-dehydroiodination strategy for spiroketal subunits of polyether antibiotics

The convergent synthesis of two pentacyclic analogues of the polyether monensin A is described. Although different with respect to the configuration of the alcohol at the 3 position of the six-membered ring of the spiroketal subunit, the configuration at the acetal center in both structures is unchanged and is consistent with the anomeric effect. The key synthetic steps are the coupling of two complex segments via an olefin metathesis, and the subsequent conversion of a dihydroxyalkene to the spiroketal through an iodoetherification-dehydroiodination sequence. The compatibility of these transformations with a variety of functional groups makes the overall strategy appropriate for highly substituted frameworks.

Recent synthetic approaches toward non-anomeric spiroketals in natural products

Many natural products of biological interest contain [6,5]- and [6,6]-spiroketal moieties that can adopt various configurations, benefiting or not from anomeric conformation stabilizing effects. The spiroketal fragments are often important for the biological activity of the compounds containing them. Most stable spiroketal stereoisomers, including those benefiting from conformational anomeric effects (gauche conformers can be more stable than anti conformers because of a contra-steric stabilizing effect), are obtained easily under acidic conditions that permit acetal heterolysis (formation of tertiary oxycarbenium ion intermediates). The synthesis of less stable stereoisomers requires stereoselective acetal forming reactions that do not permit their equilibration with their most stable stereoisomers or, in the case of suitably substituted derivatives, concomitant reactions generating tricyclic products that quench the less stable spiroketal conformers. Ingenuous approaches have been recently developed for the synthesis of naturally occurring [6,6]- and [5,6]-nonanomeric spiroketals and analogues. The identification of several parameters that can influence the stereochemical outcome of spirocyclization processes has led to seminal improvements in the selective preparation of the non-anomeric isomers that are discussed herein. This review also gives an up-dated view of conformational anomeric effect which represents a small fraction of the enthalpic anomeric effect that makes gem-dioxy substituted compounds much more stable that their 1,n-dioxy substituted isomers (n > 1). Although models assuming sp3-hybridized oxygen atoms have been very popular (rabbit ears for the two non-bonding electron pairs of oxygen atom), sp2-hybridized oxygen atoms are used to describe the conformational anomeric effect.