Azusa Kondoh

Catalysis-Based and Protecting-Group-Free Total Syntheses of the Marine Oxylipins Hybridalactone and the Ecklonialactones A, B, and C

Concise and protecting-group-free total syntheses of the marine oxylipins hybridalactone (1) and three members of the ecklonialactone family (2-4) were developed. They deliver these targets in optically pure form in 14 or 13 steps, respectively, in the longest linear sequence; five of these steps are metal-catalyzed and four others are metal-mediated. The route to either 1 or 2-4 diverges from the common building block 22, which is accessible in 7 steps from 2[5H]furanone by recourse to a rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric 1,4-addition reaction controlled by the carvone-derived diene ligand 35 and a ring-closing alkene metathesis (RCM) catalyzed by the ruthenium indenylidene complex 17 as the key operations. Alternatively, 22 can be made in 10 steps from furfural via a diastereoselective three-component coupling process. The further elaboration of 22 into hybridalactone as the structurally most complex target with seven contiguous chiral centers was based upon a sequence of cyclopropanation followed by a vanadium-catalyzed epoxidation, both of which were directed by the same free hydroxy group at C15. The macrocyclic scaffold was annulated to the headgroup by means of a ring-closing alkyne metathesis reaction (RCAM). In response to the unusually high propensity of the oxirane of the targeted oxylipins for ring opening, this transformation had to be performed with complexes of the type [(Ar(3)SiO)(4)Mo≡CPh][K·OEt(2)] (43), which represent a new generation of exceedingly tolerant yet remarkably efficient catalysts. Their ancillary triarylsilanolate ligands temper the Lewis acidity of the molybdenum center but are not sufficiently nucleophilic to engage in the opening of the fragile epoxide ring. A final semireduction of the cycloalkyne formed in the RCAM step to the required (Z)-alkene completed the total synthesis of (-)-1. The fact that the route from the common fragment 22 to the ecklonialactones could follow a similar logic showcased the flexibility inherent to the chosen approach.

Increasing the Structural Span of Alkyne Metathesis

A new generation of alkyne metathesis catalysts, which are distinguished by high activity and an exquisite functional group tolerance, allows the scope of this transformation to be extended beyond its traditional range. They accept substrates that were previously found problematic or unreactive, such as propargyl alcohol derivatives, electron-deficient and electron-rich acetylenes of various types, and even terminal alkynes. Moreover, post-metathetic transformations other than semi-reduction increase the structural portfolio, as witnessed by the synthesis of a annulated phenol derivative via ring-closing alkyne metathesis (RCAM) followed by a transannular gold-catalyzed Conia-ene reaction. Further examples encompass a post-metathetic transannular ketone-alkyne cyclization with formation of a trisubstituted furan, a ruthenium-catalyzed redox isomerization, and a Meyer-Schuster rearrangement/oxa-Michael cascade. These reaction modes fueled model studies toward salicylate macrolides, furanocembranolides, and the cytotoxic macrolides acutiphycin and enigmazole A; moreover, they served as the key design elements of concise total syntheses of dehydrocurvularin (27) and the antibiotic agent A26771B (36).

Brønsted base catalyzed [2,3]-Wittig/phospha-Brook tandem rearrangement sequence.

A Brønsted base catalyzed rearrangement reaction of 2-allyloxy-2-phosphonoacetate derivatives was developed. This reaction proceeded via a [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement followed by a phospha-Brook rearrangement. This is the first example of a catalytic [2,3]-Wittig rearrangement initiated by a Brønsted base.

1-Alkynylphosphines and Their Derivatives as Key Starting Materials in Creating New Phosphines

This Focus Review summarizes transformations of 1-alkynylphosphines and their derivatives directed toward the synthesis of new phosphines. Owing to the importance of organophosphines as ligands for transition metal catalysts, development of efficient methods for the synthesis of new phosphines is quite important. 1-Alkynylphosphines and their derivatives have been emerging as useful precursors for the creation of new phosphines. Chemical modifications of the carbon-carbon triple bonds, including nucleophilic addition and cycloaddition, lead to a wide range of new useful phosphines that are otherwise difficult to synthesize.

Kinetic Resolution of Racemic Amino Alcohols through Intermolecular Acetalization Catalyzed by a Chiral Brønsted Acid

The kinetic resolution of racemic secondary alcohols is a fundamental method for obtaining enantiomerically enriched alcohols. Compared to esterification, which is a well-established method for this purpose, kinetic resolution through enantioselective intermolecular acetalization has not been reported to date despite the fact that the formation of acetals is widely adopted to protect hydroxy groups. By taking advantage of the thermodynamics of acetalization by the addition of alcohols to enol ethers, a highly efficient kinetic resolution of racemic amino alcohols was achieved for the first time and in a practical manner using a chiral phosphoric acid catalyst.

Intramolecular cyclization of alkynyl α-ketoanilide utilizing [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement catalyzed by phosphazene base.

A novel catalytic cyclization reaction of alkynyl α-ketoanilide was developed by utilizing the [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement. This reaction involves the generation of an amide enolate via the umpolung process, that is the addition of dialkyl phosphite to a keto moiety followed by the [1,2]-phospha-Brook rearrangement, and the subsequent intramolecular addition of the enolate to an alkyne to afford 3,4-dihydro-2-quinolone derivatives. Under high-temperature reaction conditions, further rearrangement of the allylic phosphate moiety occurs to provide 2-quinolone derivatives.

Intermolecular Radical Addition of Alkylthio- and Arylthiodiphenylphosphines to Terminal Alkynes

Intermolecular radical thiophosphination of terminal alkynes with alkylthio- and arylthiophosphines affords 1-thio-2-phosphino-1-alkenes in good yields. The addition reaction proceeds predominantly in an anti fashion to yield E isomers.

Total Synthesis of Nominal Gobienine A

The lichen-derived glycoconjugate gobienine A is structurally more complex than most glycolipids isolated from higher plants by virtue of the all-cis substituted γ-lactone substructure embedded into its macrocyclic frame. A concise entry into this very epimerization-prone and hence challenging structural motif is presented, which relies on an enantioselective cyanohydrin formation, an intramolecular Blaise reaction, a palladium-catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation, and a diastereoselective hydrogenation of the tetrasubstituted alkene in the resulting butenolide. This strategy, in combination with ring-closing olefin metathesis for the formation of the macrocyclic perimeter, allowed the proposed structure of gobienine A (1) to be formed in high overall yield. The recorded spectral data show that the structure originally attributed to gobienine A is incorrect and that it is not the epimerization-prone ester site on the butanolide ring that is the locus of misassignment; rather, the discrepancy must be more profound.

Construction of Vicinal Quaternary Stereogenic Centers by Enantioselective Direct Mannich-Type Reaction Using a Chiral Bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane Catalyst

A novel asymmetric direct Mannich-type reaction of α-iminophenylacetate esters with thionolactones, bearing a substituent at the α-position, as a less acidic pronucleophile was developed. Using bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane as the chiral organosuperbase catalyst, the reaction afforded densely functionalized amino-acid derivatives having vicinal quaternary stereogenic centers, one of which is an all-carbon quaternary stereogenic center, in good yield with high diastereo- and enantioselectivities.

Enantioselective Addition of a 2‐Alkoxycarbonyl‐1,3‐dithiane to Imines Catalyzed by a Bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane Organosuperbase

A chiral bis(guanidino)iminophosphorane catalyzes enantioselective addition reactions of a 1,3-dithiane derivative as a pronucleophile. The chiral uncharged organosuperbase facilitates the addition of benzyloxycarbonyl-1,3-dithiane to aromatic N-Boc-protected imines to provide optically active α-amino-1,3-dithiane derivatives, which are valuable versatile building blocks in organic synthesis.