Richard J. K. Taylor of the University of York has developed (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 1935) the diasteroselective intramolecular Michael cyclization of phosphonates such as 2. Quenching of the cyclized product with paraformaldehyde delivered ( + )-Paeonilactone B 3. Roberto Fernández de la Pradilla of the CSIC, Madrid established (Tetrahedron Lett. 2008, 49, 4167) the diastereoselective intramolecular hetero Michael addition of alcohols to enantiomerically-pure acyclic sulfoxides such as 4 to give the allylic sulfoxide 5. Mislow-Evans rearrangement converted 5 into 6, the enantiomerically-pure core of Ethyl Deoxymonate B 7. The ellagitannins, represented by 10, are single atropisomers around the biphenyl linkage. David R. Spring of the University of Cambridge found (Organic Lett. 2008, 10, 2593) that the chiral constraint of the carbohydrate backbone of 9 directed the absolute sense of the oxidative coupling of the mixed cuprate derived from 9, leading to Sanguiin H-5 10 with high diastereomeric control. A key challenge in the synthesis of the solandelactones, exemplified by 14, is the stereocontrolled construction of the unsaturated eight-membered ring lactone. James D. White of Oregon State University found (J. Org. Chem. 2008, 73, 4139) an elegant solution to this problem, by exposure of the cyclic carbonate 11 to the Petasis reagent, to give 12. Subsequent Claisen rearrangement delivered the eight-membered ring lactone, at the same time installing the ring alkene of Solandelactone E 14. AD-mix usually proceeds with only modest enantiocontrol with terminal alkenes. None the less, Ian Paterson, also of the University of Cambridge, observed (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 3016, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 3021) that bis-dihydroxylation of the diene 17 proceeded to give, after acid-mediated cyclization, the bis-spiro ketal core 18 of Spirastrellolide A Methyl Ester 19 with high diastereocontrol.
Synthesis of the C1–C16 fragment of spirastrellolide A
