Corrected Structure of Natural Hyacinthacine C1 via Total Synthesis

Hyacinthacines C₁ and C₄ are natural products that were isolated from Hyacinthoides non-scripta and Scilla socialis in 1999 and 2007, respectively. Despite their different ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic data, these compounds have been assigned the same structures, including absolute configurations. This work details the total synthesis of natural (+)-hyacinthacine C₁, whose structure is confirmed as being the C-6 epimer of that reported. The synthetic strategy focused on inverting the configuration at C-1 of the final hyacinthacines via operating the inversion at the corresponding carbon atom in three previously synthesized intermediates. To do this, the advanced intermediates were subjected to Swern oxidation, followed by a stereoselective reduction with L-Selectride. This approach led to the synthesis of (+)-5 -epi-hyacinthacine C₁ (15), the corrected structure for (+)-hyacinthacine C₁ (19), (+)-6,7-di- epi-hyacinthacine C₁ (23), and (+)-7- epi-hyacinthacine C₁ (29). Glycosidase inhibition assays revealed that (+)-hyacinthacine C₁ (19) proved the most active, with IC₅₀ values of 33.7, 55.5, and 78.2 μM, against the α-glucosidase of rice, human lysosome, and rat intestinal maltase, respectively.

Trapping of N-Acyliminium Ions with Enamides: An Approach to Medium-Sized Diaza-Heterocycles

Enamides equipped with N-acyliminium ion precursors were obtained through reduction of ynamides tethered to N-imides. Intramolecular TMSOTf-mediated trapping of N-acyliminium ions provided a variety of polyfunctionalized medium-sized diaza-heterocycles of putative pharmacological interest.

Virtually going green: The role of quantum computational chemistry in reducing pollution and toxicity in chemistry

Continuing advances in computational chemistry has permitted quantum mechanical calculation to assist in research in green chemistry and to contribute to the greening of chemical practice. Presented here are recent examples illustrating the contribution of computational quantum chemistry to green chemistry, including the possibility of using computation as a green alternative to experiments, but also illustrating contributions to greener catalysis and the search for greener solvents. Examples of applications of computation to ambitious projects for green synthetic chemistry using carbon dioxide are also presented.

An organocatalytic enantioselective vinylogous Mannich reaction of α,α-dicyanoolefins with isatin N-Boc ketimines

The first catalytic enantioselective vinylogous Mannich reaction of α,α-dicyanoolefins with ketimines derived from isatins has been developed. High yields and enantioselectivities were observed for the reaction of various ketimines and α,α-dicyanoolefins using a tertiary butyl substituted cinchona alkaloid type squaramide catalyst.