Productive Syntheses of Privileged Scaffolds Inspired by the Recognition of a Diels-Alder Pattern Common to Three Classes of Natural Products.

Identification of a common Diels-Alder pattern in three classes of bioactive natural products led us to study the synthesis and cycloaddition of a new class of cyclic dienes readily available from ß,γ-unsaturated lactams. A practical and readily scalable route to the parent p-methoxybenzyl-protected 6- and 7-membered ß,γ-unsaturated lactams was developed. These were readily transformed into the corresponding O-silylated dienes, which were reacted with dimethyl and diethyl fumarate to yield stereoselectively highly functionalized bicyclic adducts. These exhibited unexpected and versatile transformations upon acid hydrolysis depending on the nature of the dienophile substituents and the acid catalyst. All reactions have been performed on multigram quantities. These transformations provide a convenient, economical, and easily scalable pathway for the rapid construction of functionally and stereochemically dense privileged scaffolds for the construction of libraries of natural products-inspired molecules of pharmacological relevance.

Nano copper oxide catalyzed synthesis of symmetrical diaryl sulfides under ligand free conditions.

Potassium thiocyanate acts as an efficient sulfur surrogate in C-S cross-coupling reactions mediated by recyclable copper oxide nanoparticles under ligand free conditions. This protocol avoids foul smelling thiols, for the synthesis of a variety of symmetrical diaryl sulfides, via the cross-coupling of different aryl halides with potassium thiocyanate, affording corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields.