Simple indolizidine and quinolizidine alkaloids

Synthesis of Functionalized Indolizines through 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Zwitterionic Ketenimines and Pyridinium Salts

A straightforward and efficient strategy for the synthesis of fully functionalized indolizines has been developed through a transition metal- and oxidant-free [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of zwitterionic ketenimines and pyridinium salts. This versatile method proceeds under mild conditions, affording functionalized indolizines in moderate to good yields. This efficient approach involves an intermolecular [3 + 2] cycloaddition, followed by enamine/imine tautomerization and aromatization. Notably, this method demonstrates broad functional group compatibility and allows for facile scalability, making it a valuable tool for the synthesis of indolizine-based frameworks in organic and medicinal chemistry.

The Synergy of Microwave-Irradiation and Water Surface: A Fast Access to C-2 Functionalized Indolizines Via Baylis-Hillman Reaction

Herein, we report a sustainable, rapid, and cost-effective methodology for the synthesis of 2-functionalized indolizines from pyridine-2-carboxaldehydes by coupling with α,β-unsaturated compounds via the Baylis-Hillman pathway followed by cyclization in one-pot using DBU as the organocatalyst "on-water" under microwave irradiation. The water as the medium played a pivotal role in achieving quick conversion to the products in just 1 min in good to high yields (up to 78%). The method is further validated on several 2-acylpyridines; however, in these cases a longer time (up to 1 h) was required for complete conversion due to steric bulk at the reaction center and 1,2-functionalized indolizines are obtained in similar yields (up to 74%). The substituent variation in pyridine and α,β-unsaturated compounds show negligible electronic effect and a diverse functional group tolerance is observed. Furthermore, the scalability of the method is studied at the gram-scale with representative examples, which afford products in comparable yields to that of the small-scale reactions. The present method tick multiple sustainability matrices like metal-free synthesis, water as reaction medium, cost-effectiveness, and low E-factor.

Advances in the Total Synthesis of Pharmacologically Important Fused Indolizidine Alkaloids: Securinine, Gephyrotoxin and Lepadiformine

Indolizidine alkaloids represent a diverse group of naturally occurring compounds which are derived from various sources and possess a wide range of pharmacological activities. Fused indolizidine alkaloids represent a distinct subset of these compounds, where additional rings are fused with the indolizidine core. When combined with the specific stereochemistry typically required for their biological activity, the fused ring structure complicates the synthesis of this important class of compounds. Among the well-studied fused indolizidine alkaloids are securinine, gephyrotoxin, and lepadiformine, which have all exhibited potential in important therapeutic areas. Due to their complex structures, over the years numerous approaches have been proposed to synthesize these compounds. In this article, we review the progress made in synthetic routes for these key fused indolizidine alkaloids throughout history, providing a broad overview and the distinct advantages of the various strategies that could be employed in their synthesis.

Cyclic Imines and Their Salts as Universal Precursors in the Synthesis of Nitrogen-Containing Alkaloids

Alkaloids are predominantly nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds that are usually isolated from plants, and sometimes from insects or animals. Alkaloids are one of the most important types of natural products due to their diverse biological activities and potential applications in modern medicine. Cyclic imines were chosen as starting compounds for the synthesis of alkaloids due to their high synthetic potential. Thus, this review summarizes the achievements in the synthesis of various alkaloids from cyclic imines, paying special attention to stereoselective methods used for their preparation. Information on the biological activity of some alkaloids, their application and occurrence in natural objects is presented. Synthesis methods are classified based on the type of alkaloid obtained.

Blue Light-Emitting Diode-Mediated In Situ Generation of Pyridinium and Isoquinolinium Ylides from Aryl Diazoesters: Their Application in the Synthesis of Diverse Dihydroindolizine

Blue light-emitting diode-mediated environmentally sustainable three component reactions among pyridine/isoquinoline 1/2, aryl diazoesters 3, and acrylic ester/3-alkenyl oxindoles 5/6 provide various dihydroindolizines 7 to 9 in excellent yield. The principle of the strategy is photolytic generation of nitrogen ylides from N-heteroarenes and aryl diazoesters and their subsequent [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with dipolarophiles. Detailed mechanistic analysis of the transformation through control experiments establishes this strategy as the foundation for the photolytic multicomponent reaction.

Denitrogenative Transformations of Pyridotriazoles and Related Compounds: Synthesis of N-Containing Heterocyclic Compounds and Beyond

The high demand for new and efficient routes toward synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic scaffolds has inspired organic chemists to discover several methodologies over recent years. This Perspective highlights one standout approach, which involves the use of pyridotriazoles and related compounds in denitrogenative transformations. Readily available pyridotriazoles undergo ring-chain isomerization to produce uniquely reactive α-diazoimines. Such reactivity, enabled by metal catalysts, additives, or visible-light irradiation, can be applied in transannulation, insertion, cyclopropanation, and many other transformations.

Recent advances in the application of ring-closing metathesis for the synthesis of unsaturated nitrogen heterocycles

This short review summarizes recent advances relating to the application of ring-closing olefin-olefin and carbonyl-olefin metathesis reactions towards the synthesis of unsaturated five- and six-membered nitrogen heterocycles. These developments include catalyst modifications and reaction designs that will enable access to more complex nitrogen heterocycles.

3-Aryl-2,5-Dihydropyrroles via Catalytic Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis

Herein, we describe the development of a synthetic strategy towards chiral 3-pyrrolines based on the design principle of iron(III)-catalyzed carbonyl-olefin metathesis. This approach takes advantage of commercially available amino acids as chiral pool reagents and FeCl3 as a Lewis acid catalyst. Our strategy is characterized by its operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions and functional group tolerance. Investigations show that an electron-deficient nitrogen protecting group overcomes limitations arising from competitive binding of the Lewis acid catalyst to unfavorable Lewis basic sites, which ultimately enables catalytic turnover.

Control of Vicinal Stereocenters through Nickel-Catalyzed Alkyl-Alkyl Cross-Coupling

Vicinal stereocenters are found in many natural and unnatural compounds. Although metal-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of unactivated alkyl electrophiles are emerging as a powerful tool in organic synthesis, there have been virtually no reports of processes that generate, much less control, vicinal stereocenters. In this investigation, we establish that a chiral nickel catalyst can mediate doubly stereoconvergent alkyl-alkyl cross-coupling, specifically, reactions of a racemic pyrrolidine-derived nucleophile with cyclic alkyl halides (as mixtures of stereoisomers) to produce vicinal stereocenters with very good stereoselectivity.

(±)-Homocrepidine A, a Pair of Anti-inflammatory Enantiomeric Octahydroindolizine Alkaloid Dimers from Dendrobium crepidatum

A pair of racemic indolizidine enantiomers, (±)-homocrepidine A (1), and a piperidine derivative, homocrepidine B (2), were isolated from Dendrobium crepidatum along with the known alkaloid crepidine (3). The racemic mixture of 1 was separated into a pair of enantiomers, (+)-1 and (-)-1, by HPLC using a chiral chromatographic substrate, which represents the first successful example of resolving indolizidine racemic mixtures. The absolute configurations of (+)-1 and (-)-1 were assigned from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity with LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages revealed that (+)-1 strongly inhibited the production of nitric oxide (IC50, 3.6 μM) and significantly decreased the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, while (-)-1 and (±)-1 only had moderate inhibitory effects (IC50, 22.8 and 14.7 μM). Compound 2 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity (IC50, 27.6 μM).

Multicomponent Strategy to Pyrazolo[3,4-e]indolizine Derivatives under Microwave Irradiation

A simple and efficient one-pot construction of pyrazolo[3,4-e]indolizine derivatives via a diethylamine-catalyzed three-component domino reaction of arylglyoxals, cyclic 1,3-diones, and 5-aminopyrazoles under microwave irradiation is described. In this one-pot transformation, seven bonds and two new rings are efficiently formed. This synthesis was confirmed to follow the group-assisted-purification (GAP) chemistry process, which can avoid traditional recrystallization or chromatography purification methods.

Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Synthesis of 2-Substituted 2,3-Dihydro-4-quinolones by a Protecting-Group-Free Approach

Chiral 2-substituted 2,3-dihydro-4-quinolones were synthesized based on the chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed intramolecular aza-Michael addition reaction using N-unprotected 2-aminophenyl vinyl ketones as substrates in good yields with high enantioselectivities.

Formal [3+2] cycloaddition of 1-cyanocyclopropane 1-ester with pyridine, quinoline or isoquinoline: a general and efficient strategy for construction of cyanoindolizine skeletons

An efficient and straightforward preparation of cyanoindolizine derivatives via a cycloaddition reaction between 1-cyanocyclopropane 1-ester and pyridine or benzopyridine.

Enantioconvergent cross-couplings of racemic alkylmetal reagents with unactivated secondary alkyl electrophiles: catalytic asymmetric Negishi α-alkylations of N-Boc-pyrrolidine

Although enantioconvergent alkyl-alkyl couplings of racemic electrophiles have been developed, there have been no reports of the corresponding reactions of racemic nucleophiles. Herein we describe Negishi cross-couplings of racemic α-zincated N-Boc-pyrrolidine with unactivated secondary halides, thus providing a one-pot, catalytic asymmetric method for the synthesis of a range of 2-alkylpyrrolidines (an important family of target molecules) from N-Boc-pyrrolidine, a commercially available precursor. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicated that two of the most straightforward mechanisms for enantioconvergence (dynamic kinetic resolution of the organometallic coupling partner and a simple β-hydride elimination/β-migratory insertion pathway) are unlikely to be operative.

A direct method for the synthesis of indolizine derivatives from easily available aromatic ketones, pyridines, and acrylonitrile derivatives

A concise and efficient strategy has been proposed to synthesize indolizine derivatives from easily available aryl or heteroaryl methyl ketones, pyridines, and acrylonitriles. The mechanistic pathway involved the integration of iodination, pyridinium ylide synthesis, and 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition. The protocols were found to be highly efficient in terms of high yields, operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions, and easy workup. This method has provided an important supplement for the synthesis of indolizine derivatives via a novel tandem synthesis.

Copper-assisted palladium(II)-catalyzed direct arylation of cyclic enaminones with arylboronic acids

Described herein is a palladium(II)-catalyzed direct arylation of cyclic enaminones with arylboronic acids. The versatility of this method is that both electron-rich and electron-poor boronic acids can be coupled in high yields. A mixture of two Cu(II) additives was crucial for efficient cross-coupling. The role of each Cu(II) reagent appears to be distinct and complementary serving to assist catalyst reoxidation and transmetalation through a putative arylcopper intermediate.

Synthesis of 6- and 7-membered cyclic enaminones: scope and mechanism

Six- and seven-membered cyclic enaminones can be prepared using common, environmentally benign reagents. Amino acids are used as synthetic precursors allowing diversification and the incorporation of chirality. The key reaction in this multistep process involves deprotection of Boc-amino ynones and subsequent treatment with methanolic K(2)CO(3) to induce cyclization. A β-amino elimination side reaction was identified in a few labile substrates that led to either loss of stereochemical purity or degradation. This process can be mitigated in specific cases using mild deprotection conditions. NMR and deuterium-labeling experiments provided valuable insight into the workings and limitations of this reaction. Although disguised as a 6-endo-dig cyclization, the reagents employed in the transformation play a direct role in bond-making and bond-breaking, thus changing the mode of addition to a 6-endo-trig cyclization. This method can be used to construct an array of monocyclic and bicyclic scaffolds, many of which are found in well-known natural products (e.g., indolizidine, quinolizidine, and Stemona alkaloids).

Enantioselective syntheses of both enantiomers of cis-pyrrolidine 225H

The efficient and expeditious syntheses of both enantiomers of the amphibian alkaloid cis-225H have been achieved. Utilizing a common cis-2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidine building block derived from (+)-2-tropinone, the enantioselective syntheses have established the absolute configuration of these alkaloids as (+)-(2R,5S) and (-)-(5S,2R).