Synthesis of 2,6-trans- and 3,3,6-trisubstituted tetrahydropyran-4-ones from Maitland-Japp derived 2H-dihydropyran-4-ones: a total synthesis of diospongin B

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Diarylheptanoids

In the quest for synthesizing biologically important natural products, medicinal chemists embark on an endless journey. This review focuses on the reports published towards the syntheses of diarylheptanoids, classifying them into linear, tetrahydropyran, diarylether, and biphenyl categories. The synthesis methods for each class from 2013 to 2023 are discussed, providing a comprehensive overview of the advancements in the field. Representative natural product examples are highlighted for each category. The review emphasizes the importance of diarylheptanoids in the realms of chemistry and medicine, showcasing their potential as valuable compounds for medicinal and synthetic chemists.

Synthetic Approaches to Diospongins: A Two Decade Journey

Tetrahydropyran units having multiple stereogenic centers serve as excellent building blocks for various active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In particular, the presence of the unique molecular architecture of the trisubstituted tetrahydropyran (THP) unit in diospongins enhances their biological activity due to multiple stereogenic centers and has attracted attention from the synthetic community over the last two decades. In this review, we discuss synthetic approaches to chiral and racemic forms of diospongins during the period 2006–2020 in chronological order.

α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyls for One-Pot Transition-Metal-Free Access to 3,6-Dihydro-2H-pyrans

An efficient protocol has been developed for accessing mono-, di-, and trisubstituted 3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran derivatives by simply subjecting α,β-unsaturated carbonyls to the carefully optimized Corey-Chaykovsky reaction conditions. The strategy provides selectively substituted dihydropyran derivatives in good to excellent yields with a broad substrate scope under very mild reaction conditions. Easy transformation of the final 3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran to the valued 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one and tetrahydro-2H-pyran derivatives expanded the scope of this methodology to diverse oxacycles. Further, the developed strategy also found application in a two-step route to racemic goniothalamin, which is widely studied for its cytotoxic behavior.

Enantioselective "clip-cycle" synthesis of di-, tri- and spiro-substituted tetrahydropyrans

ω-Unsaturated alcohols were "clipped" via alkene metathesis to a thioester activating group, which was followed by a chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed intramolecular oxa-Michael cyclization to yield tetrahydropyrans and spiro-tetrahydropyrans with excellent enantioselectivity. The mechanism and origin of the enantioselectivity was probed by DFT calculations and kinetic isotope studies, where there was excellent correlation between the computational and synthetic investigations.

Direct Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Oxindole-Derived δ-Hydroxy-β-ketoesters by Aldol Reactions

Direct asymmetric synthesis of δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters was accomplished via regio- and enantioselective aldol reactions of β-ketoesters with isatins catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid thiourea derivatives. The C-C bond formation of the reactions occurred only at the γ-position of the β-ketoesters. Reaction progress monitoring and product stability analyses under the conditions that included the catalyst indicated that the γ-position reaction products were formed kinetically. Various δ-hydroxy-β-ketoesters bearing 3-alkyl-3-hydroxyoxindole cores relevant to the development of bioactive molecules were synthesized.

The Mukaiyama type aldol reaction for the synthesis of trans-2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrans: synthesis of diospongin A and B

An efficient synthesis protocol for the preparation of trans-2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrans by the reaction of 1-phenyl-1-triemthylsiloxyethylene with six membered cyclic hemiacetals in the presence of iodine is developed. This reaction proceeds smoothly under mild conditions employing a catalytic amount of molecular iodine. The feature of this novel conversion includes milder reaction conditions, broader substrate scope, functional group tolerance and good diastereoselectivity. The efficiency and practicality of the current method were successfully displayed in the total synthesis of diospongin A and B in good yields.

Three-component reaction to synthesize E-vinyl silyl anti-1,2-diols via sequential [1,4]-O-to-O/[1,4]-C-to-O silyl migrations

A three-component reaction of geminal bis(silyl) allyl silyl ether, aldehyde and electrophile has been developed to synthesize trisubstituted E-vinyl silyl anti-1,2-diols. The approach features a sequential [1,4]-O-to-O/[1,4]-C-to-O silyl migrations process.

Furanyl Cyclic Ethers: Single and Double Diastereoselectivity in the Synthesis of 2,4-Di and 2,4,5-Trisubstituted Tetrahydropyrans

Combining the desymmetrization of a prochiral bis-hydroxymethyl group with the epimerization of a chiral furanyl ether in a single transformation, high levels of double diastereoselectivity have been achieved in a synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted tetrahydropyrans, which proceeds under thermodynamic control.

The stereodivergent formation of 2,6-cis and 2,6-trans-tetrahydropyrans: experimental and computational investigation of the mechanism of a thioester oxy-Michael cyclization

Computational and synthetic studies have elucidated the origins of stereodivergence in an oxy-Michael synthesis of 2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyrans.

The origins of the stereodivergence in the thioester oxy-Michael cyclization for the formation of 4-hydroxy-2,6-cis- or 2,6-trans-substituted tetrahydropyran rings under different conditions was investigated both computationally and experimentally. Synthetic studies showed that the 4-hydroxyl group was essential for stereodivergence. When the 4-hydroxyl group was present, TBAF-mediated conditions gave the 2,6-trans-tetrahydropyran and trifluoroacetic acid-mediated conditions gave the 2,6-cis-tetrahydropyran. This stereodivergence vanished when the hydroxyl group was removed or protected. Computational studies revealed that: (i) the trifluoroacetic acid catalysed formation of 2,6-cis-tetrahydropyrans was mediated by a trifluoroacetate-hydroxonium bridge and proceeded via a chair-like transition state; (ii) the TBAF-mediated formation of 2,6-trans-tetrahydropyrans proceeded via a boat-like transition state, where the 4-hydroxyl group formed a crucial hydrogen bond to the cyclizing alkoxide; (iii) both reactions are under kinetic control. The utility of this stereodivergent approach for the formation of 4-hydroxy-2,6-substituted tetrahydropyran rings has been demonstrated by the total syntheses of the anti-osteoporotic natural products diospongin A and B.