Stereoselective Synthesis of (4S,5S)-5-Vinyloxazolidin-2-one-4-carboxylate as a β-Vinylserine Synthetic Equivalent by Vinyl Grignard Addition to an N-Tosyl Version of Garner’s Aldehyde

A highly efficient synthesis of a β-vinylserine synthetic equivalent is reported that exploits the stereodirecting effect of the N-toluenesulfonamide in an anti-diastereoselective (8.5:1) vinyl Grignard addition to an analogue of Garner’s aldehyde. Both aryl and alkyl ­Grignards are shown to give increased anti-selectivity compared with N-Boc Garner’s aldehyde.

Electroreductive Olefin-Ketone Coupling

<div><div><div><p>A user-friendly approach to sidestep the venerable Grignard addition to unactivated ketones to access tertiary alcohols by reversing the polarity of the disconnection. In this work a ketone instead acts as a nucleophile when adding to simple unactivated olefins to accomplish the same overall transformation. The scope of this coupling is broad as enabled using an electrochemical approach and the reaction is scalable, chemoselective, and requires no precaution to exclude air or water. Multiple applications demonstrate the simplifying nature of the reaction on multi-step synthesis and mechanistic studies point to an intuitive mechanism reminiscent of other chemical reductants such as SmI2 (which cannot accomplish the same reaction).</p></div></div></div>

Electroreductive Olefin-Ketone Coupling

<div><div><div><p>A user-friendly approach to sidestep the venerable Grignard addition to unactivated ketones to access tertiary alcohols by reversing the polarity of the disconnection. In this work a ketone instead acts as a nucleophile when adding to simple unactivated olefins to accomplish the same overall transformation. The scope of this coupling is broad as enabled using an electrochemical approach and the reaction is scalable, chemoselective, and requires no precaution to exclude air or water. Multiple applications demonstrate the simplifying nature of the reaction on multi-step synthesis and mechanistic studies point to an intuitive mechanism reminiscent of other chemical reductants such as SmI2 (which cannot accomplish the same reaction).</p></div></div></div>

Synthesis of Polycyclic Frameworks through Iron-Catalyzed Intramolecular [5+2] Cycloaddition

A concise and efficient approach to the core of the C18/C19 diterpenoid alkaloids and phomopsterone B is reported. Both syntheses share the same iron-catalyzed intramolecular [5+2] cycloaddition to assemble the tricyclo[6.3.1.01,6]]dodecane skeleton. The following ­approach to the 6/5/6/7 tetracyclic core scaffold of C18/C19 diterpenoid alkaloids features a regioselective Grignard addition/thermal Claisen rearrangement/RCM cyclization. Meanwhile the synthetic steps to access the spiro 6/5/6 tricyclic subunits of phomopsterone B were characterized as intramolecular aldol reaction, Wacker oxidation, and Criegee ­reaction.

Isolation and structural characterization of a titanacyclopropane as key intermediate in the double aryl Grignard addition to 2-(arylethynyl)pyridine derivatives

A titanacyclopropane species, which is a key reaction intermediate in the Ti(OiPr)4-mediated double aryl Grignard addition to 1,2-di(pyridin-2-yl)ethyne and related alkynes, was isolated and fully characterized.

The Johnson Synthesis of Paspaline

Paspaline 3, isolated from the ergot fungus Claviceps paspali, is a Maxi-K channel antagonist, and so a potential lead for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The selec­tive C–H functionalization that converted 1 to 2 was a key step in the synthesis of 3 reported (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 4968; J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80, 9740) by Jeffrey S. Johnson of the University of North Carolina. The prochiral diketone 4 was the starting point for the assembly of 1. Selective reduction with a commercial strain of yeast set both the relative and the absolute con­figuration of 5. The ketone interfered with the subsequent acid-catalyzed cyclization of the epoxy alcohol, so it was protected as the tosylhydrazone 6. This set the stage for the direct Bamford– Stevens conversion to the fully-substituted alkene 7. Ireland–Claisen rearrangement of the isobutyrate derived from 7 proceeded with substantial preference for the equatorial diastereomer 8. This was carried on to the methyl ketone 9. Hydroboration of 9 showed substantial axial preference, to deliver, after oxidation, the equatorial aldehyde 10. Intramolecular aldol condensation to 11 followed by hydrogenation and benzyl oxime formation then completed the preparation of 1. Intramolecular Pd-catalyzed acetoxylation has been extensively studied by Sanford (Org. Lett. 2010, 12, 532). The Sanford conditions, carried out on a gram scale, conver­ted 1 into the equatorial diastereomer 2 with remarkable diastereoselectivity. The final carbocyclic ring was then added by vinyl Grignard addition to the derived keto alde­hyde 12. Grubbs cyclization gave 13, that on exposure to acid rearranged to the enone 14. Reduction of the ketone occurred from the open face to give an alcohol that then directed hydrogenation from the opposite face, leading to the desired trans-fused ketone. Sulfenylation then completed the synthesis of the ketone 15. At this point, the authors followed Smith (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1985, 107, 1769) in using the Gassman protocol (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1974, 96, 5495) to construct the indole. Amination of the sulfur of 15 with N-chloroaniline gave the sulfonium salt, that on exposure to Et3N rearranged to 16. Reductive desulfurization followed by cyclization completed the synthesis of paspaline 3.

Ring-Closing Metathesis Approach to Cage Propellanes Containing Oxepane and Tetrahydrofuran Hybrid System

The preparation of a variety of structurally interesting oxygenated cage compounds involving atom-economic processes such as Claisen rearrangement, Diels–Alder reaction, [2+2] photocycloaddition, and ring-closing metathesis (RCM) as key steps is reported. For the first time, oxepane ring system is introduced in cage framework using olefin metathesis as a key step. These cage systems assembled here are difficult to prepare by traditional methods. The synthetic sequence described here opens up new routes to higher order polycycles containing heteroatoms without the involvement of protecting groups. Transannular cyclization observed during Grignard addition and the RCM protocol used here may be applicable to generate unknown oxygenated cage systems.