Facile synthesis of 2-vinylindolines via a phosphine-mediated α-umpolung/Wittig olefination/cyclization cascade process.

A novel phosphine-mediated α-umpolung/Wittig olefination/cyclization cascade process between o-aminobenzaldehydes and Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates has been ingeniously developed. This protocol serves as a practical tool for the facile synthesis of a broad range of 2-vinylindolines in moderate to good yields under mild reaction conditions. The applicability of this method was demonstrated with gram-scale reaction and various transformations of the corresponding product.

Palladium-Catalyzed O-Glycosylation through π-π Interactions.

A stereodivergent synthesis of ß- and α-O-glycosides using 3-O-quinaldoyl glucals was developed by palladium catalysis at 60 and 110 °C respectively. Various alcohols, monosaccharides, and amino acid were glycosylated to form ß- and α- products in good yields with high stereoselectivity. Mechanistic studies indicated no classic Pd-N (quinoline) coordination, but π-π stacking interactions promoted the anomeric stereodiversity. The practicality was demonstrated by glycosylating natural products/drugs and synthesizing a complex tetrasaccharide.

Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Aryl C-Nucleosides under Ambient Conditions.

A stereocontrolled synthesis of an aryl C-nucleoside has been developed using D-ribals and arylboronic acids catalyzed by palladium without additional ligands in common solvents under an open-air atmosphere at room temperature. This protocol features very mild conditions, simplicity in operation, exclusive ß-stereoselectivity, broad substrate scopes, and good compatibility with reactive amino and hydroxyl groups. The functionalization of unsaturated C-nucleosides and the late-stage glycosylation of natural products/drugs demonstrated the high practicality of this strategy.

Stereoselective Synthesis of ß-S-Glycosides via Palladium Catalysis.

S-Glycosides are more resistant to enzymatic and chemical hydrolysis and exhibit higher metabolic stability than common O-glycosides, demonstrating their widespread application in biological research and drug development. In particular, ß-S-glycosides are used as antirheumatic, anticancer, and antidiabetic drugs in clinical practice. However, the stereoselective synthesis of ß-S-glycosides is still highly challenging. Herein, we report an effective ß-S-glycosylation using 3-O-trichloroacetimidoyl glycal and thiols under mild conditions. The C3-imidate is designed to guide Pd to form a complex with glucal from the upper face, followed by Pd-S (thiols) coordination to realize ß-stereoselectivity. This method demonstrates excellent compatibility with a broad scope of various thiol acceptors and glycal donors with yields up to 87% and a ß/α ratio of up to 20:1. The present ß-S-glycosylation strategy is used for late-stage functionalization of drugs/natural products such as estrone, zingerone, and thymol. Overall, this novel and simple operation approach provides a general and practical strategy for the construction of ß-thioglycosides, which holds high potential in drug discovery and development.

Highly Regio- and Diastereoselective Phosphine-Catalyzed [2 + 4] Annulation of Benzofuran-Derived Azadienes with Allyl Carbonates: Access to Spiro[benzofuran-cyclohexanes].

A novel highly regio- and diastereoselective phosphine-catalyzed [2 + 4] annulation of benzofuran-derived azadienes (BDAs) with acidic hydrogen-tethered allyl carbonates has been developed ingeniously. A range of functionalized spiro[benzofuran-cyclohexane] derivatives with two consecutive stereocenters were smoothly obtained in moderate to excellent yields under mild reaction conditions from readily available materials. Moreover, this method is a practical and scalable strategy that creates the core structural motif of the fungistatic drug, griseofulvin.

Stereoselective Synthesis of O-Glycosides with Borate Acceptors.

Borate esters have been applied widely as coupling partners in organic synthesis. However, the direct utilization of borate acceptors in O-glycosylation with glycal donors remains underexplored. Herein, we describe a novel O-glycosylation resulting in the formation of 2,3-unsaturated O-glycosides and 2-deoxy O-glycosides mediated by palladium and copper catalysis, respectively. This O-glycosylation method tolerated a broad scope of trialkyl/triaryl borates and various glycals with exclusive stereoselectivities in high yields. All the desired aliphatic/aromatic O-glycosides and 2-deoxy O-glycosides were generated successfully, without the hemiacetal byproducts and O→C rearrangement because of the nature of borate esters. The utility of this strategy was demonstrated by functionalizing the 2,3-unsaturated glycoside products to form saturated ß-O-glycosides, 2,3-deoxy O-glycosides, and 2,3-epoxy O-glycosides.

Stereoselective Synthesis of 2-Deoxy Glycosides via Iron Catalysis.

An Fe-catalyzed 2-deoxy glycosylation method was developed from 3,4-O-carbonate glycals directly at room temperature. This novel approach enabled facile access to alkyl and aryl 2-deoxy glycosides in high yields with exclusive α-stereoselectivity, tolerating various alcohols, phenols, and glycals. The synthetic utility and advantage of this strategy have been demonstrated by the modification of six natural products and the construction of a tetrasaccharide.

Construction of Non-Biaryl Atropisomeric Amide Scaffolds Bearing a C-N Axis via Enantioselective Catalysis.

The significant scaffold offered by atropisomeric amides with a C-N chiral axis has been extensively utilized for pharmaceuticals, agricultural science, and organic syntheses. As a result, the field of atropisomer synthesis has attracted considerable interest within chemistry communities. To date, a range of catalytic atroposelective approaches has been reported for the efficient construction of these challenging scaffolds. However, greatly concise and highly useful methodologies for the synthesis of these atropisomeric compounds, focusing on transition-metal, chiral amine, and phosphoric acid catalysis reactions, etc., are still desirable. Hence, it is indispensable to succinctly and systematically present all such reports by means of disclosing the mechanistic analysis and application, as well as the challenges and issues associated with the establishment of these atropisomers. In this review, we summarize the development of catalytic asymmetric synthetic strategies to access non-biaryl atropisomers rotating around a C-N chiral axis, including the reaction methods, mechanism, late-stage transformations, and applications.

Phosphine-Catalyzed Sequential [3 + 2]/[3 + 2] Annulation between Allenoates and Arylidenemalononitriles for the Enantioselective Construction of Bicyclo[3,3,0]octenes and Cyclopenta[c]quinolinones.

A highly diastereo- and enantioselective phosphine-catalyzed sequential [3 + 2]/[3 + 2] annulation of allenoates with arylidenemalononitriles has been developed. This reaction allows for the facile construction of multifunctionalized cis-fused bicyclic[3,3,0]octene scaffolds, encompassing three consecutive stereogenic centers with one quaternary carbon center, in a one-step operation from readily available materials. The reported protocol is scalable, operates under mild reaction conditions, and creates the core structural motif of a number of natural products.

Phosphine-catalyzed divergent domino processes between γ-substituted allenoates and carbonyl-activated alkenes.

Highly enantioselective and chemodivergent domino reactions between γ-substituted allenoates and activated alkenes have been developed. In the presence of NUSIOC-Phos, triketone enone substrates smoothly reacted with γ-substituted allenoates to form bicyclic furofurans in good yields with high stereoselectivities. Alternatively, the reaction between diester-activated enone substrates and γ-substituted allenoates formed chiral conjugated 1,3-dienes in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities. Notably, by employing substrates with subtle structural difference, under virtually identical reaction conditions, we were able to access two types of chiral products, which are of biological relevance and synthetic importance.

Recent applications of asymmetric organocatalytic annulation reactions in natural product synthesis.

The past two decades have witnessed remarkable growth of asymmetric organocatalysis, which is now a firmly established synthetic tool, serving as a powerful platform for the production of chiral molecules. Ring structures are ubiquitous in organic compounds, and, in the context of natural product synthesis, strategic construction of ring motifs is often crucial, fundamentally impacting the eventual fate of the whole synthetic plan. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and updated summary of asymmetric organocatalytic annulation reactions; in particular, the application of these annulation strategies in natural product synthesis will be highlighted.

Synthetic Approaches to Tricyclic Aminoketones in the Total Synthesis of Aspidosperma and Kopsia Alkaloids.

Aspidosperma and kopsia alkaloids are significant functional molecules because of their potent biological activities. Their intricate structures present an intrinsic synthetic challenge and thus attract significant attention from synthetic organic academic community. Over the past decades, a series of elegant strategies has been developed, in particular, the Stork's original Fischer indolization of tricyclic aminoketones 1. Herein, we report a comprehensive review on various synthetic approaches access to tricyclic aminoketones 1 and provide a practical guidance to readers whose are interested in employing tricyclic aminoketones 1 as versatile building blocks in the realm of total synthesis of aspidosperma, kopsia and structurally related alkaloids.

Construction of sulfur-containing moieties in the total synthesis of natural products.

Covering: January 2013 to September 2018Sulfur-containing natural products are a large class of significant functional molecules. Many of these compounds exhibit potent biological activities and pharmacological properties; in fact, some of them have been developed into important drugs. The total synthesis of sulfur-containing natural products is a subject that has long attracted significant attention from synthetic organic chemists; to achieve this goal, various methods have been developed over the past years. This review surveys total syntheses of sulfur-containing natural products that introduce sulfur atoms using different sulfurization agents to construct related sulfur-containing moieties.

Asymmetric Total Syntheses of (-)-Jerantinines A, C, and E, (-)-16-Methoxytabersonine, (-)-Vindoline, and (+)-Vinblastine.

A concise and stereocontrolled strategy for the syntheses of oxygenated Aspidosperma and Vinca alkaloids, via a stereoselective intermolecular inverse-electron-demand [4 + 2] cycloaddition, a challenging α,ß-unsaturated ketone indolization rearrangement with excellent regio- and stereoselectivity, and an efficient Pd/C-catalyzed one-pot cascade reaction. The strategy has been demonstrated by the efficient asymmetric syntheses of antitumor drug (+)-vinblastine and five other oxygenated Aspidosperma alkaloids.

Divergent Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (+)-Vincadifformine, (-)-Quebrachamine, (+)-Aspidospermidine, (-)-Aspidospermine, (-)-Pyrifolidine, and Related Natural Products.

A uniformly strategic total synthesis of Aspidosperma alkaloids (+)-vincadifformine, (-)-quebrachamine, (+)-aspidospermidine, (-)-aspidospermine, (-)-pyrifolidine, and nine others from efficiently constructed tricyclic ketone 13 is reported. Highlights of these divergent and practical syntheses include (i) stereoselective intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition to establish a C-E ring with one all-carbon quaternary stereocenter (C-5) and two bridged contiguous cis-stereocenters (C-12 and C-19), (ii) a Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation/deprotection/amidation cascade process to assemble the D ring, and (iii) Fischer indolization to forge the A-B ring.

Ligand Controlled Regiodivergent C1 Insertion on Arynes for Construction of Phenanthridinone and Acridone Alkaloids.

A palladium-catalyzed regiodivergent C1 insertion multicomponent reaction involving aryne, CO, and 2-iodoaniline is established to construct the scaffolds of phenanthridinone and acridone alkaloids. Regioselective control is achieved under the guidance of selective ligands. The phenanthridinones are solely obtained under ligand-free condition. In comparison, application of the electron-abundant bidentate ligand dppm afforded the acridones with high efficiency. The release rate of the aryne from the precursor assists the regioselectivity of insertion as well, which was revealed through interval NMR tracking. A plausible mechanism was suggested based on the control experiments. Representative natural products and two types of natural product analogues were synthesized divergently through this tunable method.