Total Synthesis of (+)-Lycoricidine and Conduramine B-1, ent-C-1, C-4, D-1, ent-F-1, and ent-F-4, and Formal Synthesis of (-)-Laminitol: a C2-Symmetric Chiral-Pool-Based Flexible Strategy.

A facile and diversity-oriented synthetic strategy toward aminocyclitol natural products from inexpensive C2-symmetric l-tartaric acid was developed. The pivotal epoxide was used as a common intermediate to accomplish eight diverse target molecules in six to eleven steps. Various allyl-amine-type conduramines were synthesized in a diastereoselective manner. Heck arylation was explored to construct a phenanthridone ring in a concise synthesis of (+)-lycoricidine. In addition, a highly efficient formal synthesis of (-)-laminitol was developed.

A C2-symmetric chiral pool-based flexible strategy: synthesis of (+)- and (-)-shikimic acids, (+)- and (-)-4-epi-shikimic acids, and (+)- and (-)-pinitol.

Via combination of a novel acid-promoted rearrangement of acetal functionality with the controlled installation of the epoxide unit to create the pivotal epoxide intermediates in enantiomerically pure form, a simple, concise, flexible, and readily scalable enantiodivergent synthesis of (+)- and (-)-shikimic acids and (+)- and (-)-4-epi-shikimic acids has emerged. This simple strategy not only provides an efficient approach to shikimic acids but also can readily be adopted for the synthesis of (+)- and (-)-pinitols. These concise total syntheses exemplify the use of pivotal allylic epoxide 14 and its enantiomer ent-14. A readily available inexpensive C2-symmetric L-tartaric acid (7) served as key precursor. In general, the strategy here provides a neat example of the use of a four-carbon chiron and offers a good account of the synthesis of functionalized cyclohexane targets.

Exceedingly Concise and Elegant Synthesis of (+)-Paniculatine, (-)-Magellanine, and (+)-Magellaninone.

Starting from inexpensive (+)-pulegone as the chiral building block, a highly convergent synthesis of the unusual diquinane-based structures of (+)-paniculatine (1), (-)-magellanine (2), and (+)-magellaninone (3), has been achieved. This approach is based upon a tandem acylation-alkylation of ketoester 8 and palladium-catalyzed olefin insertion, oxidation, and hydrogenation for construction of the tetracyclic framework. This exceedingly concise strategy, requiring only 12-14 steps, is the shortest to date.