On stereochemistry of osmium tetroxide oxidation of allylic alcohol systems: empirical rule

Preussochromone Puzzle: Structural Revision of Preussochromones E and F by Total Synthesis

A stereoselective synthesis of the proposed and actual structures of the natural products preussochromones E and F is reported. The key step is a ring-closing metathesis to close the five-membered ring and install the trans configuration of the annulated five-six ring system. The analysis of the ³J NMR couplings of the isolated natural product with the synthesized compound revealed its real structure with a cis annulation, which could also be synthesized using an intramolecular aldol reaction of a vic-tricarbonyl compound.

Molybdenum-Catalyzed Diastereoselective anti-Dihydroxylation of Secondary Allylic Alcohols

In this protocol, we report a Mo-catalyzed anti-dihydroxylation of secondary allylic alcohols, providing a general method for the preparation of 1,2,3-triols bearing up to three continuous stereocenters with excellent diastereocontrol. The mechanistic studies reveal that this dihydroxylation reaction consists of two steps and up to excellent diastereomeric ratios of the final triol products can be achieved due to the high level of both diastereocontrol in the initial epoxidation and regiocontrol in the following hydrolysis in situ.

Synthesis of Homoverrucosanoid-Derived Esters and Evaluation as MDR Modulators

The synthesis of the A-B-cis,B-C-trans-annulated cyclohepta[e]hydrindane core of a gagunin E analogue is reported in detail. The tricarbocyclic scaffold was assembled starting from an easily accessible A ring building block by a (4 + 2)-cycloaddition for annulation of the B ring. A ring-closing metathesis served for construction of the seven-membered C ring. The angular methyl groups were attached by electrophilic cyclopropanation-ring opening. A library based on the most active lead compound was made accessible by esterification of the terpenols with commercially available acids. A transannular etherification reaction gave access to tetracyclic derivatives of the synthetic inhibitors. The members of the compound library of non-natural homoverrucosanoid-derived esters were examined as modulators of the membrane transporter proteins ABCB1 (P-gp), ABCG2 (BCRP), and ABCC1 (MRP1), which are involved in the formation of multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer chemotherapy.

Total Synthesis, Stereochemical Revision, and Biological Reassessment of Mandelalide A: Chemical Mimicry of Intrafamily Relationships

Mandelalide A and three congeners had recently been isolated as the supposedly highly cytotoxic principles of an ascidian collected off the South African coastline. Since these compounds are hardly available from the natural source, a concise synthesis route was developed, targeting structure 1 as the purported representation of mandelalide A. The sequence involves an iridium-catalyzed two-directional Krische allylation and a cobalt-catalyzed carbonylative epoxide opening as entry points for the preparation of the major building blocks. The final stages feature the first implementation of terminal acetylene metathesis into natural product total synthesis, which is remarkable in that this class of substrates had been beyond the reach of alkyne metathesis for decades. Synthetic 1, however, proved not to be identical with the natural product. In an attempt to clarify this issue, NMR spectra were simulated for 20 conceivable diastereomers by using DFT followed by DP4 analysis; however, this did not provide a reliable assignment either. The puzzle was ultimately solved by the preparation of three diastereomers, of which compound 6 proved identical with mandelalide A in all analytical and spectroscopic regards. As the entire "northern sector" about the tetrahydrofuran ring in 6 shows the opposite configuration of what had originally been assigned, it is highly likely that the stereostructures of the sister compounds mandelalides B-D must be corrected analogously; we propose that these natural products are accurately represented by structures 68-70. In an attempt to prove this reassignment, an entry into mandelalides C and D was sought by subjecting an advanced intermediate of the synthesis of 6 to a largely unprecedented intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction, which furnished the γ-lactone derivative 74 as a mixture of diastereomers. Whereas (24R)-74 was amenable to a hydroxyl-directed dihydroxylation by using OsO4 /TMEDA as the reagent, the sister compound (24S)-74 did not follow a directed path but simply obeyed Kishi's rule; only this unexpected escape precluded the preparation of mandelalides C and D by this route. A combined spectroscopic and computational (DFT) study showed that the reasons for this strikingly different behavior of the two diastereomers of 74 are rooted in their conformational peculiarities. This aspect apart, our results show that the OsO4 /TMEDA complex reacts preferentially with electron deficient double bonds even if other alkenes are present that are more electron rich and less encumbered. Finally, in a brief biological survey authentic mandelalide A (6) was found to exhibit appreciable cytotoxicity only against one out of three tested human cancer cell lines and all synthetic congeners were hardly active. No significant fungicidal properties were observed.

Diastereoselective osmium-catalyzed vicinal oxyamination of acyclic allylic alcohol derivatives

The osmium-catalyzed oxyamination of chiral acyclic allylic alcohol derivatives bearing mono- and 1,1-di-substituted double bonds with benzyl N-(4-tosyloxy)carbamate proceeds with high regioselectivity and moderate levels of diastereoselectivity favoring the anti product. The observed stereoselectivity shows a clear and systematic trend with anti:syn ratios increasing in line with the size of substituent at both the allylic stereocenter and double bond α-carbon. The stereoinduction is in accord with the sense of diastereoselectivity predicted by Kishi's empirical rule and a previously reported transition state model for the osmium-catalyzed dihydroxylation of allylic alcohol derivatives. In contrast, allylic alcohol derivatives bearing trisubstituted double bonds show low or no reactivity in the oxyamination reaction affording the syn product in low yield in the cases examined.

Catalytic, enantioselective synthesis of 1,2-anti-diols by asymmetric ring-opening/cross-metathesis

An enantioselective method for the synthesis of 1,2-anti-diols has been developed. A cyclometalated chiral-at-ruthenium complex catalyzes the asymmetric ring-opening/cross-metathesis of dioxygenated cyclobutenes, thus resulting in functionally rich synthetic building blocks. Syntheses of the insect pheromone (+)-endo-brevicomin and monosaccharide ribose demonstrate the synthetic utility of the 1,2-anti-diol fragments generated in the title reaction.

De novo synthesis of D- and L-fucosamine containing disaccharides

The availability of rare monosaccharides that cannot be isolated from natural sources is currently limiting the access to the synthesis and the biological evaluation of complex bacterial cell-surface glycans. Here, we report the synthesis of D- and L-fucosamine building blocks by a de novo approach from L- and D-Garner aldehydes. These differentially protected monosaccharide building blocks were utilized to prepare disaccharides present on the surface of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria.

Cyclohexyne cycloinsertion in the divergent synthesis of guanacastepenes

The guanacastepenes are a family of 15 diterpenes that share a common 5-6-7 tricyclic core, which is decorated with quaternary centers, unsaturation, hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. Some of these natural products show interesting antimicrobial potency. Their collective structural and biological features have stirred up vibrant activity among organic chemists. Herein, we disclose an account of our studies toward the synthesis of a number of guanacastepenes. The synthetic strategy relies on the use of cyclohexyne in a cycloinsertion reaction to rapidly construct the guanacastepene core. Isolation of a cyclobutenol as intermediate in the cyclohexyne cycloinsertion provided us with the possibility to study further the reactivity of this metastable compound, and we uncovered novel rearrangements and ring-opening reactions. Stereoselective, late-stage oxidative diversification of the carbon scaffold allowed the synthesis of guanacastepenes N and O and paved the way for the synthesis of guanacastepenes H and D.

Evidence for patchy lipid layers on gold nanoparticle surfaces

Gold nanoparticles bearing multiple surface ligands are becoming favored candidates as multifunctional targeting, imaging, and therapeutic vehicles for biomedicine. The question of spatial location of different ligands on nanoparticle surfaces, especially with those of diameters less than 100 nm, is an important one that is difficult to quantitatively address. Here we functionalize the surface of 20, 50, and 90 nm gold nanoparticles with two different lipids, both single and mixed, using two different surface chemical procedures. Mass spectrometry supports the presence of both lipids in the mixed-lipid systems on nanoparticles, while electron microscopy evidence shows domain sizes for one lipid apparently a quarter to a half the projected diameter for 50 and 90 nm particles; but for 20 nm particles, there is no evidence for the existence of patches of the two lipids. Larger gold nanoparticles (90 nm) can be decorated with an array of 12 nm gold nanoparticles by use of a third lipid and antibody-antigen connectors; the display of the 12 nm particles about the 90 nm particles can be controlled to some extent by the initial surface chemistry and is quantified via a new angle analysis procedure.

From D-glucose to enantiomerically pure cycloctanoses. The glycosidase inhibitory capacity of medium-ring carbasugars

Exhaustive dihydroxylation of the pair of cyclooctadienols consisting of 4 and 5, which are available in enantiomerically pure form from d-glucose, resulted in the formation of two diastereomeric tetraols in each case. The difference in polarity of the 6/7 and 8/9 pairs facilitated their chromatographic separation. Ensuing acetylation and PMB deprotection allowed for the assignment of relative (and ultimately absolute) stereochemistry to the resulting monohydric alcohols on the basis of J(HH) analysis of their (1)H NMR spectra. The highly functionalized exomethylenecyclooctanes 14-17, which were derived by periodinane oxidation and Wittig olefination, were further elaborated by hydroboration and global deprotection. The eight members of the cyclooctanose family of carbasugars and their precursor intermediates consistently showed patterns of J(HH) values in line with the contiguous stereochemical relationships. Also assayed was their specific inhibitory behavior toward glycosidases.

De novo synthesis of polyhydroxyl aminocyclohexanes

The syntheses of 12 stereochemically diverse polyhydroxyl aminocyclohexane ("aminocyclitols") derivatives are described. These short syntheses require 2-5 steps from N-(2,4-cyclohexadien-1-yl)phthalimide, which is prepared in two steps from tricarbonyl(cyclohexadienyl)iron(1+). The relative stereochemistries of the aminocyclitols were assigned by (1)H NMR spectroscopy as well as X-ray diffraction analysis.

Strained organosilacyclic compounds: synthesis of anti-Bredt olefins and trans-dioxasilacyclooctenes

Insertions of silylenes into the allylic carbon-oxygen bond of vinyl epoxides was shown to generate 1,2-silaoxetanes. These intermediates undergo highly diastereoselective additions to aldehydes to form anti-Bredt olefins and trans-dioxasilacyclooctenes. Additions of electrophiles could be performed selectively on the outside face of these strained trans-cycloalkenes to provide valuable functionalized compounds.

Insertions of silylenes into vinyl epoxides: diastereoselective synthesis of functionalized, optically active trans-dioxasilacyclooctenes

This communication describes a direct route to functionalized nonracemic trans-dioxasilacyclooctenes that involves stereoselective silylene insertions into vinyl epoxides to provide vinyl silaoxetane intermediates. These strained allylic silanes then undergo uncatalyzed allylation of aldehydes to afford trans-dioxasilacyclooctenes. Diastereoselective additions to these alkenes allow efficient transfer of planar chirality to chirality at stereogenic carbon atoms.