On stereochemistry of osmium tetroxide oxidation of allylic alcohol systems: examples

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.

Conceptualization and Synthesis of the First Inosito-Inositol (Decahydroxydecalin, DHD): In silico Binding to β-Amyloid Protein

Previously unknown entities in the form of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10-decahydroxydecalins (DHDs) have been conceptualized and the first member of this class, an inosito-inositol, has been synthesized from aromatic hydrocarbon naphthalene following a flexible strategy that is amenable to diversity creation. The DHD accessed here has been subjected to preliminary in silico evaluation with Aβ and may hold some promise in Alzheimer's disease therapeutics.

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 of Sphingofungin E and 4,5-Di-epi-sphingofungin E

Total synthesis of sphingofungin E and 4,5-di-epi-sphingofungin E was achieved from an intermediate same as that of myriocin and mycestericin D via antipodal stereoselective dihydroxylations.

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.

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.

Regioselective base-free intermolecular aminohydroxylations of hindered and functionalized alkenes

Regioselective base-free intermolecular aminohydroxylations of functionalized trisubstituted and 1,1-disubstituted alkenes employing benzoyloxycarbamate 3a and catalytic OsO(4) are described. In all cases, the more substituted alcohol isomer is favored. Sluggish reactions could be promoted by gentle heating, the use of amine ligands, or increased catalyst loadings. A competitive rearrangement was observed with a secondary allylic alcohol substrate. The adducts serve as useful precursors to dehydroamino acids.

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.

Stereochemistry of Sagittamide A: Prediction and Confirmation

[structure: see text] The C5-C10 relative stereochemistry of sagittamide A was predicted, with the use of the 3JH,H profiles assembled from the spin-coupling constants reported in the literature. The predicted relative stereochemistry was then confirmed by a total synthesis of two relevant remote diastereomers. The absolute configuration of sagittamide A was established through a detailed 1H NMR analysis of the two remote diastereomers, followed by doping experiments of them with the authentic natural product.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Tetrahydroxanthenols—Unprecedented Access to Privileged Structural Motifs

Tetrahydroxanthenones, which can be easily prepared by a domino oxa-Michael aldol condensation, offer various possibilities for diastereoselective functionalization, giving access to the stereocontrolled synthesis of stereochemical triades or tetrades, which represent privileged structural motifs. In most cases, the relative stereochemistry was unequivocally established by crystal structure analysis.

Concise Approach to the “Higher Sugar” Core of the Nucleoside Antibiotic Hikizimycin

A highly productive synthesis of phenylthio glycoside 33 is described which constitutes a fully functional surrogate for the hikosamine core of hikizimycin 1, a complex nucleoside antibiotic endowed with promising anthelmintic properties. The chosen approach to this undecose derivative starts from mannofuranose 7 which was one-carbon homologated to alkyne 8 in one step on treatment with lithio (trimethylsilyl)diazomethane. Alkynyl iodide 12 derived from 8 was combined with the tartrate-derived aldehyde 17 by a Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi reaction that can either be performed using overstoichiometric amounts of CrCl2 or by means of a catalytic manifold based on the turnover of a cat. CrCl2/chlorosilane/manganese redox couple. Semi-hydrogenation of the resulting alkyne 18 to (Z)-olefin 19 required the use of Pd/C as the catalyst, whereas conventional Lindlar reduction was unsatisfactory. Attempted cis-dihydroxylation of alkene 22 (formed from 19 by a Mitsunobu reaction with phthalimide) by using catalytic amounts of OsO4 and NMO as the stoichiometric oxidant essentially failed, whereas a stoichiometric osmylation afforded the stable osmate ester 26 a as a single diastereomer. Since the use of OsO4 in stoichiometric amounts deemed inappropriate for a total synthesis project, recourse was taken to catalytic "Blitz dihydroxylation" with RuO4 in the presence of FeCl2.4H2O as co-catalyst. Application of these conditions to alkene 30 bearing a free aldehyde function at the terminus of the "higher sugar" chain furnished pyranose 32 in good yield and excellent diastereoselectivity, which was converted into the targeted thioglycoside 33 on treatment with PhSSPh/Et3P. It is particularly noteworthy that the conformational constraints of the acyclic substrate 30 enforce the dihydroxylation to violate Kishi's empirical rule for transformations of this type.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of All Eight l-Hexoses from l-Ascorbic Acid

[reaction: see text] A novel versatile method for the synthesis of all eight diastereomerically pure L-hexoses was developed. L-Ascorbic acid was converted to two diastereomers A. These alpha-hydroxy esters were transformed into four gamma-alkoxy-alpha,beta-unsaturated esters C via the intermediates B and subsequent Wittig olefination reactions. Each one of compounds C was subjected to dihydroxylation to provide a set of two diols D. Anti/syn-differentiation in diol formation was manipulated by using (DHQD)2PHAL and (DHQ)2PHAL as chiral ligands. Further two-step reaction sequence affords all eight diastereopure L-hexoses.

Halichondrin B: Synthesis of the C1−C22 Subunit

[Reaction: see text]. Two efficient routes to the C1-C22 subunit of halichondrin B are described. The cage ketal 7, which contains 11 asymmetric centers embedded within the ABCDEF-ring framework, was assembled from (+)-conduritol E (27) in 18 steps and 4% overall yield. In a separate route, 7 was also synthesized in 18 steps and 2% overall yield from a derivative of alpha-d-glucoheptonic acid gamma-lactone (62). While the former route installs the fully elaborated C-ring endowed with the correct C12 stereochemistry early in the synthesis, the latter features a late-stage introduction of the C12 stereocenter during the ultimate one-pot Michael addition/ketalization cascade to form the CDE-ring system of the cage. The importance of the C12 stereocenter to the crucial ketalization event is discussed through comparison of these two strategies.

Total Synthesis of (+)-Amphidinolide A. Assembly of the Fragments

The structure elucidation of (+)-amphidinolide A, a cytotoxic macrolide, has been accomplished by employing a combination of total synthesis and NMR spectroscopic analysis. Amphidinolide A possesses two skipped 1,4-diene subunits which are accessible by ruthenium-catalyzed alkene-alkyne couplings. Previous total syntheses had revealed that the reported structure was incorrect; therefore, to incorporate maximum flexibility into the synthesis, with the ultimate goal of determining the correct structure, a highly convergent approach was chosen. Furthermore, liberal use was made of catalytic asymmetric transformations to set individual stereocenters. Three different strategies were envisioned for the end game, and due to the highly convergent nature of the synthesis, all three routes disconnect to the same three key intermediates, 5, 6, and 7. Diastereomers of 6 and 7 were easily prepared by modification of the synthetic routes to allow access to multiple diastereomers of 1 for structural determination.

Universal NMR Databases for Contiguous Polyols

On the basis of 1,2,3-triols 1a approximately d, 1,2,3,4-tetraols 2a approximately h, and 1,2,3,4,5-pentaols 3a approximately p, NMR databases with four types of profile-descriptors ((13)C-, (1)H-, and (1)H(OH)-chemical shifts and vicinal spin-coupling constants) for contiguous polyols are reported. To systematically assess the relative values of these databases, a case study has been conducted on heptaols 4a approximately d, through which the gamma- and delta-effects have been recognized to refine the (13)C and (1)H chemical shift profile predicted via an application of the concept of self-contained nature. The magnitudes of gamma- and delta-effects depend on a specific stereochemical arrangement of the functional groups present in both the inside and outside of a self-contained box and are significant only for the stereoisomers belonging to a specific sub-group. With the exception of the stereochemical arrangement of functional groups belonging to a specific sub-group, the gamma- and delta-effects can, at the first order of approximation, be ignored for the stereochemical analysis of unknown compounds. For the stereoisomers belonging to a specific sub-group, it is necessary to refine, with incorporation of the gamma- and delta-effects, the profile predicted at the first order of approximation. With use of heptaols 4a approximately d, the values of (3)J(H,H) profiles have been assessed. Two methods, one using profiles consisting of three contiguous (3)J(H,H) constants and the other using profiles consisting of two contiguous (3)J(H,H) constants, have been developed. A stereochemical analysis based on three, or two, contiguous (3)J(H,H) profiles is operationally simpler than one based on (13)C and (1)H chemical shift profiles. Therefore, it is recommended to use a (3)J(H,H) profile as the primary device to predict the stereochemistry of unknown polyols and (13)C and (1)H chemical shift profiles as the secondary devices to confirm the predicted stereochemistry.

Halichondrin B: synthesis of a C1-C14 model via desymmetrization of (+)-conduritol E

[reaction: see text] A model C1-C14 segment (1) of halichondrin B was synthesized from (+)-conduritol E (7) in 18 steps and 2.9% overall yield. Key features of the synthesis include the novel ozonolytic desymmetrization of C(2)-symmetric diol 6, the early-stage construction of the C-ring which accompanies installation of the crucial C12 stereocenter, and the use of an enol ether C14-ketone surrogate as a precursor to the CDE-"caged" ketal.

Total synthesis of desferrisalmycin B

The first total synthesis of a naturally occurring siderophore antibiotic, desferrisalmycin B, is described, and the configuration of the unknown stereocenter is assigned. The synthesis features a synthetic strategy of constructing the novel amino-heptopyranoside component by stereoselective dihydroxylation followed by a Bose-modified Mitsunobu reaction. Through this convergent approach, other members of salmycins should also be synthetically accessible.

Directed dihydroxylation of cyclic allylic alcohols and trichloroacetamides using OsO4/TMEDA

The oxidation of a range of cyclic allylic alcohols and amides with OsO4/TMEDA is presented. Under these conditions, hydrogen bonding control leads to the (contrasteric) formation of the syn isomer in almost every example that was examined. Evidence for the bidentate binding of TMEDA to OsO4 is presented and a plausible mechanism described.

Concise synthesis of a lactonamycin model system by diastereoselective dihydroxylation of a highly functionalized naphthoquinone

[reaction: see text]. In this Letter, we describe an approach to the highly functionalized tetracycle 6, a model compound corresponding to the CDEF ring system contained in the recently discovered antibiotic lactonamycin. Our approach features an unprecedented, highly stereoselective dihydroxylation of quinone 13a, which leads directly to spirocyclic lactone 15, following acid-promoted deprotection/cyclization. The methodology described herein paves the way for a concise, highly diastereo- and enantioselective synthesis of the natural product.

Asymmetric syntheses of (-)-8-epi-swainsonine triacetate and (+)-1, 2-Di-epi-swainsonine. Carbonyl addition thwarted by an unprecedented aza-pinacol rearrangement

Indolizidines (-)-8-epi-swainsonine triacetate and (+)-1, 2-di-epi-swainsonine were synthesized from the O'Donnell Schiff base ester 1 derived from D-serine. Reductive-alkenylation of 1 with (i)()Bu(5)Al(2)H/H(2)C=CHMgBr followed by substrate-directed dihydroxylation of the pendant allylic group with OsO(4), reduction of imine, and cyclization with Ph(3)P/CCl(4) gave the polyhydroxylated pyrrolidines 8a and 8b as advanced intermediates. Efficient protecting group manipulations converted pyrrolidines 8a and 8b to their corresponding partially protected analogues 10a and 10b, which upon Swern oxidation and diastereoselective Keck-type allylation with BF(3).Et(2)O afforded the required three-carbon homologues (10a, >20:1 de; 10b, 3.5:1 de). Use of the chelating Lewis acid MgBr(2) instead of BF(3).Et(2)O with 10a led to a novel aza-pinacol rearrangement and allylation at the alpha-carbon to yield amino alcohol 17, which is similar to a hydride migration in the biosynthetic pathway of indolizidine alkaloids. Subsequent hydroboration, cyclization, and deprotection furnished (-)-8-epi-swainsonine triacetate 15a and (+)-1,2-di-epi-swainsonine 16b in good overall yields (6.3% for 1 --> 15a, 13 steps, and 4.0% for 1 --> 16b, 14 steps).

Synthesis of 8-epi-castanospermine and 6,7,8-tri-epi-castanospermine

8-epi-Castanospermine (11) and 6,7,8-tri-epi-castanospermine (12) were synthesized from the hydroxyproline precursor 13 which was obtained enantioselectively via an enzymatic process.Key words: castanospermine, synthesis of, enzymatic reduction, enzymatic resolution, asymmetric synthesis.