Palladium-Catalyzed [3 + 2]-C-C/N-C Bond-Forming Annulation.

The synthesis of bi- and tricyclic structures incorporating pyrrolidone rings is disclosed, starting from resonance-stabilized acetamides and cyclic α,ß-unsaturated-γ-oxycarbonyl derivatives. This process involves an intermolecular Tsuji-Trost allylation/intramolecular nitrogen 1,4-addition sequence. Crucial for the success of this bis-nucleophile/bis-electrophile [3 + 2] annulation is its well-defined step chronology in combination with the total chemoselectivity of the former step. When the newly formed annulation product carries a properly located o-haloaryl moiety at the nitrogen substituent, a further intramolecular keto α-arylation can join the cascade, thereby forming two new cycles and three new bonds in the same synthetic operation.

Formal Total Synthesis of Diazonamide†A by Indole Oxidative Rearrangement.

A short formal total synthesis of the marine natural product diazonamide A is described. The route is based on indole oxidative rearrangement, and a number of options were investigated involving migration of tyrosine or oxazole fragments upon oxidation of open chain or macrocyclic precursors. The final route proceeds from 7-bromoindole by sequential palladium-catalysed couplings of an oxazole fragment at C-2, followed by a tyrosine fragment at C-3. With the key 2,3-disubstituted indole readily in hand, formation of a macrocyclic lactam set the stage for the crucial oxidative rearrangement to a 3,3-disubstituted oxindole. Notwithstanding the concomitant formation of the unwanted indoxyl isomer, the synthesis successfully delivered, after deprotection, the key oxindole intermediate, thereby completing a formal total synthesis of diazonamide A.

A vinylic Rosenmund-von Braun reaction: practical synthesis of acrylonitriles.

An efficient system based on acetone cyanohydrin and catalytic amounts of copper(I) iodide and 1,10-phenanthroline is reported for the cyanation of alkenyl iodides. A wide range of polysubstituted acrylonitriles could be obtained in fair to good yields and with complete retention of the geometry of the double bond. This extension of the Rosenmund-von Braun reaction also enabled a straightforward formal synthesis of the naturally occurring acrylonitrile alliarinoside.

Combinatorial approach to chiral tris-ligated carbophilic platinum complexes: application to asymmetric catalysis.

A straightforward methodology for the synthesis of libraries of chiral tris-ligated cationic platinum complexes and their in situ evaluation as asymmetric carbophilic catalysts in a model domino hydroarylation/cyclization reaction of a 1,6-enyne was developed. A catalyst-generation process based on a combination of a monodentate and a bidentate phosphorus ligand allowed the formation of 108 chiral complexes. One-pot screening of the stereoinduction obtained with this library in a test domino addition/cyclization reaction validated this approach and stressed the key role played by the monodentate ligand partner in obtaining high enantioselectivities. In the case of two challenging substrate/nucleophile combinations, the combinatorial approach resulted in a significant gain in enantioselectivity.

Impact of copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in natural product synthesis: the emergence of new retrosynthetic paradigms.

Copper-catalyzed Ullmann-Goldberg-type cross-coupling reactions have undergone nothing short of a renaissance over the last decade and an impressive number of procedures are now available for the formation of C-N, C-O and C-S bonds with remarkable efficiencies and surgical precision. These reactions have been recently integrated into natural product synthesis, which clearly resulted in the emergence of new retrosynthetic paradigms and bond disconnections. The impact of copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions in natural product synthesis will be overviewed in this article with an emphasis on the evolution of strategies due to copper catalysis, mostly by comparison with alternative tactics and their relative efficiencies.

Gold-catalyzed oxidative acyloxylation of arenes.

A variety of nonactivated hindered aromatic rings are acyloxylated (22 examples, up to 83% yield) in the presence of PPh(3)AuCl as the catalyst and di(acetoxy)iodobenzene as the oxidant. The reaction proceeds at 110 °C in an acid media and allows the formation of both hindered acetoxy and acyloxy derivatives. This methodology nicely complements the Pd-catalyzed arene acyloxylation reaction, which is not operating on hindered substrates and allows the Au-catalyzed unprecedented acyloxylation reaction of arenes, implying various carboxylic acids.

Asymmetric Au-catalyzed cycloisomerization of 1,6-enynes: An entry to bicyclo[4.1.0]heptene.

A comprehensive study on the asymmetric gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization reaction of heteroatom tethered 1,6-enynes is described. The cycloisomerization reactions were conducted in the presence of the chiral cationic Au(I) catalyst consisting of (R)-4-MeO-3,5-(t-Bu)(2)-MeOBIPHEP-(AuCl)(2) complex and silver salts (AgOTf or AgNTf(2)) in toluene under mild conditions to afford functionalized bicyclo[4.1.0]heptene derivatives. The reaction conditions were found to be highly substrate-dependent, the best results being obtained in the case of oxygen-tethered enynes. The formation of bicyclic derivatives, including cyclopropyl pentasubstituted ones, was reported in moderate to good yields and in enantiomeric excesses up to 99%.

Room-temperature metal-free electrophilic 5-endo-selective iodocarbocyclization of 1,5-enynes.

A highly efficient NIS-promoted iodocarbocyclization reaction of various functionalized 1,5-enynes is described via a 5-endo diastereoselective process. The cyclizations are conducted in the presence of 1.2 equiv of N-iodosuccinimide in dichloromethane at room temperature. The reaction conditions are compatible with several functional groups and lead to original iodo-functionalized carbocycles in good to excellent yields.