Stereocontrolled Total Synthesis of Bastimolide B Using Iterative Homologation of Boronic Esters.

Bastimolide B is a polyhydroxy macrolide isolated from marine cyanobacteria displaying antimalarial activity. It features a dense array of hydroxylated stereogenic centers with 1,5-relationships along a hydrocarbon chain. These 1,5-polyols represent a particularly challenging motif for synthesis, as the remote position of the stereocenters hampers stereocontrol. Herein, we present a strategy for 1,5-polyol stereocontrolled synthesis based on iterative boronic ester homologation with enantiopure magnesium carbenoids. By merging boronic ester homologation and transition-metal-catalyzed alkene hydroboration and diboration, the acyclic backbone of bastimolide B was rapidly assembled from readily available building blocks with full control over the remote stereocenters, enabling the total synthesis to be completed in 16 steps (LLS).

Trapping-Enrichment Multi-dimensional Liquid Chromatography with On-Line Deuterated Solvent Exchange for Streamlined Structure Elucidation at the Microgram Scale.

At the forefront of chemistry and biology research, development timelines are fast-paced and large quantities of pure targets are rarely available. Herein, we introduce a new framework, which is built upon an automated, online trapping-enrichment multi-dimensional liquid chromatography platform (TE-Dt-mDLC) that enables: 1) highly efficient separation of complex mixtures in a first dimension (1 D-UV); 2) automated peak trapping-enrichment and buffer removal achieved through a sequence of H2 O and D2 O washes using an independent pump setup; and 3) a second dimension separation (2 D-UV-MS) with fully deuterated mobile phases and fraction collection to minimize protic residues for immediate NMR analysis while bypassing tedious drying processes and minimizing analyte degradation. Diverse examples of target isolation and characterization from organic synthesis and natural product chemistry laboratories are illustrated, demonstrating recoveries above 90 % using as little as a few micrograms of material.

Access to Highly Stereodefined 1,4-cis-Polydienes by a [Ni/Mg] Orthogonal Tandem Catalytic Polymerization.

A [Ni/Mg]-catalyzed orthogonal tandem polymerization has been developed starting from enol phosphates. Initial investigations conducted on branched 1,3-dienes as monomers enabled identification of a Mg-initiated polymerization process leading to 1,4-cis-polydienes. When aryl enol phosphates are used as monomers, the [Ni/Mg]-catalyzed tandem polymerization affords 1,4-cis-polydienes with selectivities up to 99%. Elastomeric or crystalline materials were obtained by simple structural modifications of the monomeric unit. This tandem approach appears as a straightforward and efficient way to enforce diversity and selectivity in diene polymerization while retaining a fair degree of control, just as observed for stepwise systems that are accessible through established time- and manpower-consuming synthetic procedures.

Transition metal-catalyzed alkene isomerization as an enabling technology in tandem, sequential and domino processes.

One-pot reactions elaborated around transition metal-catalyzed isomerization of alkenes not only offer the inherent advantages of atom-, step- and redox-economy but also enable the preparation of value-added products that would be difficult to access by conventional methods. In this Review, we cover seminal and recent examples of tandem, sequential and domino processes, which incorporate the most attractive features of olefin isomerization.

Direct Access to Chiral Secondary Amides by Copper-Catalyzed Borylative Carboxamidation of Vinylarenes with Isocyanates.

A Cu-catalyzed borylative carboxamidation reaction has been developed using vinylarenes and isocyanates. Alkynes, branched 1,3-dienes, and bicyclic alkenes were also found to be competent coupling partners. Using a chiral phosphanamine ligand, an enantioselective variant of this transformation was developed, affording a set of α-chiral amides with unprecedented levels of enantioselectivity. The synthetic utility of the method was demonstrated through a series of representative stereoretentive postcatalytic derivatizations.

Remote Functionalization of α,ß-Unsaturated Carbonyls by Multimetallic Sequential Catalysis.

The remote functionalization of α,ß-unsaturated carbonyls by an array of multimetallic sequential catalytic systems is described. The reactions are triggered by hydrometalation using [Pd-H] or [Ru-H] isomerization catalysts and driven by the formation of thermodynamically more stable 1,2-vinyl arenes. The Pd-catalyzed deconjugative isomerization was combined with a Cu-catalyzed ß-borylation of the transiently generated styrenyl derivatives to deliver a range of products that would not be accessible with the use of a single catalyst. [Pd/Cu] catalytic systems were also identified for the highly enantioselective α-hydroboration and α-hydroamination of the styrenyl intermediates. Difunctionalization simultaneously at the benzylic and homobenzylic positions was achieved by combining the isomerization process with Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation (SAD) using [Pd/Os] or [Ru/Os] couples. Starting from a simple α,ß-unsaturated ester, an isomerization/dihydroxylation/lactonization sequence gave access to a naturally occurring γ-butyrolactone in good yield, with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity.

Copper-catalyzed enantioselective 1,2-borylation of 1,3-dienes.

A highly enantioselective Cu-catalyzed borylation of 2-substituted 1,3-dienes is reported. The use of a chiral phosphanamine ligand is essential in achieving high chemo-, regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivity. It provides access to a variety of homoallylic boronates in consistently high yield and enantiomeric excess with 2-aryl and 2-heteroaryl 1,3-dienes as well as sterically demanding 2-alkyl 1,3-dienes. Preliminary investigations based on a non-linear effect study point to a mechanism involving more than one metal center.