Enantioselective Total Syntheses of Cassane Furanoditerpenoids and Their Stimulation of Cellular Respiration in Brown Adipocytes

We report the first and enantioselective total syntheses of (+)-1-deacetylcaesalmin C, (+)-δ-caesalpin, (+)-norcaesalpinin MC, and (+)-norcaesalpinin P. Salient features of the synthetic strategy are an exo-selective intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of a furanoquinone monoketal and subsequent chemoselective reduction of the resulting pentacyclic furfuryl ketal, furnishing a keystone intermediate. The latter enables access to the collection of natural products through implementation of stereoselective oxidations. Having accessed the cassane furanoditerpenoids, we unveil previously unknown bioactivity: (+)-1-deacetylcaesalmin C stimulates respiration in brown adipocytes, which has been suggested to play a central role in treatment of obesity.

Ir-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Synthesis of Diversely Protected Allenylic Amines Employing Ammonia Surrogates

The first iridium catalyzed, enantioconvergent amination of allenylic carbonates is reported. This process utilizes various commercially available carbamates and sulfonamides to generate allenylic amines including commonly employed protected groups (Boc, Fmoc, Cbz, Ts, Ns) in 62-82 % yield and 87-98 % ee. The products generated through this scalable procedure serve as effective linchpins for the rapid, enantiospecific synthesis of a wide range of complex structures.

Direct Arylation of Benzo[b]furan and Other Benzo-Fused Heterocycles

The direct arylation of benzo[b]furan, benzo[b]thiophene, and indole has been studied by using aromatic bromides as the aryl source. The protocol employing common reagents and a Pd catalyst has led to the regioselective arylation of these heterocycles at the 2-position. A range of functional groups were tolerated, providing quick access to a variety of arylated benzo-fused heterocycles that would be accessible more elaborately using classical synthetic strategies. This is the first systematic study of the direct arylation of benzo[b]furan.

Thermal CVD of Amorphous Germanium Films From 2, 5-Bis (Tert.-Butyl) -2, 5-Diaza-l-Germa-Cyclopentane Organometallic Precursor

A novel organometallic germylene precursor has been synthesized and used for the deposition of amorphous germanium by thermal OM CVD at temperatures below 300°C. The films are of high purity with an oxygen content below the present detection limit of about < 1018 cm−3. Preliminary results on the electronic properties are reported.