Concise construction of the tetracyclic core of lycorine-type alkaloids and the formal synthesis of α-lycorane based on asymmetric bifunctional thiourea-catalyzed cascade reaction

Synthetic Approaches to α-, β-, γ-, and δ-lycoranes

Lycorane is a pentacyclic core presented in alkaloids isolated from the Amaryllidaceae family of herbaceous flowering plants. Members of this class of natural products have shown to display important biological properties including analgesic, antiviral, and antiproliferative activities. This review presents the known synthetic routes toward α-, β-, γ-, and δ-lycoranes. α-(19 routes), β-(10 routes), γ-(38 routes), and δ-(6 routes).

Palladium/PC-Phos-Catalyzed Asymmetric Heck/Tsuji-Trost Reactions of Amino-Tethered 1,3-Cyclohexadiene with Aryl and Alkenyl Halides

Chiral perhydroindoles are found in a number of natural products and biologically active compounds. Therefore, the development of new asymmetric methodology for rapid access to this core is of high importance. Herein, we reported a highly regio- and diastereo-selective palladium/PC-Phos-catalyzed asymmetric Heck/Tsuji-Trost reactions of readily available amino tethered 1,3-cyclohexadienes with aryl and alkenyl halides, delivering various functionalized chiral hexahydroindoles in good yields with high enantioselectivity. The application of this reaction to the concise synthesis of (-)-α-Lycorane was demonstrated. DFT computation results indicate that the difference in ΔE_dis of two migration insertion transition states determines the enantioselectivity of the reaction.

Recent Advance of Domino Michael Reaction in Natural Product Synthesis

Recent advances in the total syntheses of cyclic natural products and related compounds from 2005 to 2021, which employ domino Michael reactions as key steps, have been reviewed, focusing mainly on the domino Michael reactions catalyzed by organocatalysts.

Recent applications of asymmetric organocatalytic annulation reactions in natural product synthesis

The past two decades have witnessed remarkable growth of asymmetric organocatalysis, which is now a firmly established synthetic tool, serving as a powerful platform for the production of chiral molecules. Ring structures are ubiquitous in organic compounds, and, in the context of natural product synthesis, strategic construction of ring motifs is often crucial, fundamentally impacting the eventual fate of the whole synthetic plan. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and updated summary of asymmetric organocatalytic annulation reactions; in particular, the application of these annulation strategies in natural product synthesis will be highlighted.

Short, enantioselective, gram-scale synthesis of (-)-zephyranthine

A reasonable synthesis design by strategically integrating functional group manipulation into the ring system construction resulted in a short, enantioselective, gram-scale total synthesis of (−)-zephyranthine. The concise route includes a catalytic Michael/Michael cascade for the asymmetric synthesis of a penta-substituted cyclohexane with three contiguous stereogenic centers, a remarkable 8-step one-pot operation to easily assemble the zephyranthine tetracyclic skeleton, the regioselective construction of a double bond in the C ring and an asymmetric dihydroxylation. This synthesis is also flexible and paves a potential path to a variety of cyclohexylamine-fused tricyclic or polycyclic alkaloids.

A reasonable synthesis design by strategically integrating functional group manipulation into the ring system construction resulted in a short, enantioselective, gram-scale total synthesis of (−)-zephyranthine.

Asymmetric Total Syntheses of (-)-α-Lycorane, (-)-Zephyranthine, and Formal Synthesis of (+)-Clivonine

An asymmetric route to (-)-α-lycorane and (-)-zephyranthine, and a formal total synthesis of (+)-clivonine were achieved. A pivotal intermediate, which serves as a potent precursor for the divergent syntheses of these natural products, was accessed by a diastereoselective Pd-catalyzed cinnamylation of an N-tert-butanesulfinyl imine.

Short Total Synthesis of (±)-γ-Lycorane by a Sequential Intramolecular Acylal Cyclisation (IAC) and Intramolecular Heck Addition Reaction

An intramolecular acylal cyclisation (IAC) approach to the synthesis of a range of bicyclic heterocycles is reported. As an example of the utility of the IAC reaction, the methodology was applied in a protecting-group-free five-step total synthesis of (±)-γ-lycorane, incorporating a new intramolecular Heck addition reaction to generate the pentacyclic core structure of the natural product in good yield.

Asymmetric total synthesis of (−)-δ-lycorane

A first asymmetric synthesis of (−)-δ-lycorane by using a chiral bifunctional squaramide-catalysed cascade reaction is reported.

Stereocontrolled Access to Enantiopure 7-Substituted cis- and trans-Octahydroindoles

Cyclocondensation of (R)-phenylglycinol with stereoisomeric mixtures (racemates, cis/trans) of 3-substituted 2-oxocyclohexaneacetates stereoselectively afforded tricyclic oxazoloindolone lactams, from which straightforward procedures for the stereocontrolled formation of enantiopure 7-substituted octahydroindoles with a variety of stereochemical patterns have been developed. The methodology has been successfully applied to the synthesis of (+)-α-lycorane.

Amaryllidaceae and Sceletium alkaloids

The latest progress on the isolation, identification, biological activity and synthetic studies of the structurally diverse alkaloids from plants of family Amaryllidaceae has been summarized in this review.

Asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions for constructing diverse scaffolds and complex molecules

With the increasing concerns about chemical pollution and sustainability of resources, among the significant challenges facing synthetic chemists are the development and application of elegant and efficient methods that enable the concise synthesis of natural products, drugs, and related compounds in a step-, atom- and redox-economic manner. One of the most effective ways to reach this goal is to implement reaction cascades that allow multiple bond-forming events to occur in a single vessel. This Account documents our progress on the rational design and strategic application of asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions in constructing diverse scaffolds and synthesizing complex chiral molecules. Our research is aimed at developing robust cascade reactions for the systematic synthesis of a range of interesting molecules that contain structural motifs prevalent in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and biological probes. The strategies employed to achieve this goal can be classified into three categories: bifunctional base/Brønsted acid catalysis, covalent aminocatalysis/N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis, and asymmetric organocatalytic relay cascades. By the use of rationally designed substrates with properly reactive sites, chiral oxindole, chroman, tetrahydroquinoline, tetrahydrothiophene, and cyclohexane scaffolds were successfully assembled under bifunctional base/Brønsted acid catalysis from simple and readily available substances such as imines and nitroolefins. We found that some of these reactions are highly efficient since catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol % can promote the multistep sequences affording complex architectures with high stereoselectivities and yields. Furthermore, one of the bifunctional base/Brønsted acid-catalyzed cascade reactions for the synthesis of chiral cyclohexanes has been used as a key step in the construction of the tetracyclic core of lycorine-type alkaloids and the formal synthesis of α-lycorane. Guided by the principles of covalent aminocatalysis and N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis, we synthesized chiral piperidine, indole, and cyclobutane derivatives. The synthesis of chiral cyclobutanes and pyrroloindolones showed unprecedented reactivity of substrates and catalysts. The development of the strategy of asymmetric organocatalytic relay cascades has provided a useful tool for the controlled synthesis of specific diastereomers in complex molecules. This Account gives a panoramic view and the logic of our research on the design, development, and applications of asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions that will potentially provide useful insights into exploring new reactions.

Highly diastereodivergent synthesis of tetrasubstituted cyclohexanes catalyzed by modularly designed organocatalysts

A highly diastereodivergent synthesis of tetrasubstituted cyclohexanes has been achieved using modularly designed organocatalysts (MDOs) which are self-assembled in situ from amino acids and cinchona alkaloid derivatives. Diastereodivergence is realized through controlling the stereoselectivity of the individual steps of a tandem Michael/Michael reaction. Up to 8 of the 16 possible stereoisomers have been successfully obtained in high stereoselectivities using MDOs for the tandem reaction and an ensuing epimerization. The method was used in the enantioselective synthesis of the natural products (-)-α- and β-lycoranes.

Asymmetric catalytic conjugate addition of acetaldehyde to nitrodienynes/nitroenynes: applications to the syntheses of (+)-α-lycorane and chiral β-alkynyl acids

The catalytic enantioselective conjugate addition of acetaldehyde to polyconjugated substrates, nitrodienynes and nitroenynes, has been accomplished using organocatalysis. Various functionalized 1,3-enynes and propargylic compounds were obtained in moderate to good yields with high enantioselectivity. The synthetic utilities of the conjugate addition reactions have been highlighted in the concise total synthesis of (+)-α-lycorane and the metal-free synthesis of chiral β-alkynyl acids.

Catalytic asymmetric assembly of octahydroindolones: divergent synthesis of lycorine-type amaryllidaceae alkaloids (+)-α-lycorane and (+)-lycorine

We report the first catalytic asymmetric approach to octahydroindolones and a divergent enantioselective synthesis of perhydroindole alkaloids, as exemplified by lycorine-type Amaryllidaceae alkaloids (+)-α-lycorane and (+)-lycorine, from a common intermediate by using a highly concise route. The assembly of octahydroindolones employs a catalytic enantioselective 1,4-conjugate addition of nitro dienynes, followed by a TsOH-catalyzed cascade synthesis of highly functionalized enones, and a diastereoselective intramolecular Michael addition.

Total synthesis of lycorine-type alkaloids by cyclopropyl ring-opening rearrangement

Anhydrocaranine, γ-lycorane and putative amarbellisine were synthesized based on a series reactions including a novel cyclopropyl ring-opening rearrangement.

Organocatalytic domino reaction of cyanosulfones: access to complex cyclohexane systems with quaternary carbon centers

When ε-nitro-α,β-unsaturated esters are added to conjugated cyanosulfones in the presence of a bifunctional thiourea catalyst, a highly stereoselective domino reaction occurs to generate complex cyclohexanes with up to four stereogenic centers, one of which is quaternary in nature. Therefore, it is demonstrated that, like nitro compounds, sulfones can undergo an asymmetric intramolecular conjugate addition to α,β-unsaturated esters in the presence of a bifunctional organocatalyst.