α,β-Unsaturated acylammonium salts, generated in situ from commodity acid chlorides and a chiral isothiourea organocatalyst, comprise a new and versatile family of chiral dienophiles for the venerable Diels–Alder (DA) cycloaddition. Their reactivity is unveiled through a highly diastereo- and enantioselective Diels–Alder/lactonization organocascade that generates cis- and trans-fused bicyclic γ- and δ-lactones bearing up to four contiguous stereocenters. Moreover, the first examples of DA-initiated, stereodivergent organocascades are described delivering complex scaffolds found in bioactive compounds. The origins of stereoselectivity are rationalized through computational studies. In addition, the utility of this methodology is demonstrated through a concise approach to the core structure of glaciolide and formal syntheses of fraxinellone, trisporic acids, and trisporols.

Covering: 2006 to July 2013 Bioactive natural products and derivatives remain an enduring starting point for the discovery of new cellular targets for disease intervention and lead compounds for the development of new therapeutic agents. The former goal is accomplished through the synthesis of bioactive cellular probes from natural products, enabling insights into the mechanism of action of these natural products by classical affinity chromatography or more recent proteome profiling methods. However, the direct and selective modification of native natural products for these purposes remains a challenge due to the structural complexity and the wide functional group diversity found in these natural substances. The lack of selective synthetic methods available to directly manipulate unprotected complex small molecules, in particular to perform structure–activity relationship studies and prepare appropriate cellular probes, has recently begun to be addressed, benefitting from the broader emerging area of chemoselective synthetic methodology. Thus, new reagents, catalysts and reaction processes are enabling both chemo- and site-selective modifications of complex, native natural products. In this review, we describe selected recent examples of these functionalization strategies in this emerging area.

A concise approach to the synthesis of homobenzotetramisole and derivatives is described. Our strategy features a one-pot acylation–cyclization of 2-aminobenzothiazole with α,β-unsaturated acid chlorides to afford annulated pyrimidones. Subsequent Grignard addition followed by acid-promoted dehydration and reduction provides good overall yields of the title compounds in three steps and in quantities up to 10 g. The synthesis employs low-cost and readily available starting materials and enables access to both optical antipodes of these increasingly useful nucleophilic catalysts following chiral separation.

Dyotropic rearrangements of fused, tricyclic β-lactones are described that proceed via unprecedented stereospecific, 1,2-acyl migrations delivering bridged, spiro-γ-butyrolactones. A unique example of this dyotropic process involves a fused bis-lactone possessing both β- and δ-lactone moieties which enabled rapid access to the core structures of curcumanolide A and curcumalactone. Our current mechanistic understanding of the latter dyotropic process, based on computational studies, is also described. Other key transformations in the described divergent syntheses of (−)-curcumanolide A and (−)-curcumalactone from a common intermediate (11 and 12 steps from 2-methyl-1,3-cyclopentanedione, respectively), include a catalytic, asymmetric nucleophile (Lewis base)-catalyzed aldol-lactonization (NCAL) leading to a tricyclic β-lactone, a Baeyer–Villiger oxidation in the presence of a β-lactone, and highly facial-selective and stereocomplementary reductions of an intermediate spirocyclic enoate. The described dyotropic rearrangements significantly alter the topology of the starting tricyclic β-lactone, providing access to complex spirocyclic cyclopentyl-γ-lactones and bis-γ-lactones in a single synthetic operation.

Cyclopropanations of alkene-containing natural products that proceed under mild conditions are reported for simultaneous arming and structure–activity relationship studies. An alkynyl diazo ester under Rh(II) catalysis is employed for cyclopropanations of electron-rich olefins while an alkynyl sulfonium ylide is used for electron-poor olefins. This approach enables simultaneous natural product derivatization for SAR studies and arming (i.e., via alkyne attachment) for subsequent conjugation with reporter tags (e.g., biotin, fluorophores, photoaffinity labels) for mechanism of action studies including cellular target identification and proteome profiling experiments.

An improved, tandem acid activation/aldol-lactonization process is described. This more practical protocol shortens reaction times for the construction of bicyclic β-lactones from ketoacids and implements the use of commercially available reagents p-toluenesulfonyl chloride (p-TsCl) as activator and 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4-DMAP) as nucleophilic promoter (Lewis base). Substrates with β-substituents, with respect to the carboxylic acid, consistently showed excellent levels of diastereoselectivity during the bis-cyclization event.

The first total synthesis of the marine toxin (−)-gymnodimine (1) has been accomplished in a convergent manner. A highly diastereo- and enantioselective exo-Diels–Alder reaction catalyzed by a bis-oxazoline Cu(II) catalyst enabled rapid assembly of the spirocyclic core of gymnodimine. The preparation of the tetrahydrofuran fragment utilized a chiral auxiliary based anti-aldol reaction. Two major fragments, spirolactam 56 and tetrahydrofuran 55, were then coupled through an efficient Nozaki–Hiyama–Kishi reaction. An unconventional, ambient temperature t-BuLi-initiated intramolecular Barbier reaction of alkyl iodide 64 was employed to form the macrocycle. A late stage vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol addition of a silyloxyfuran to a complex cyclohexanone 83 appended the butenolide, and a few additional steps provided (−)-gymnodimine (1). A diastereomer of the natural product was also synthesized, C4-epi-gymnodimine (90), derived from the vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol addition.

The ZnCl2-mediated tandem Mukaiyama aldol lactonization (TMAL) reaction of aldehydes and thiopyridyl ketene acetals provides a versatile, highly diastereoselective approach to trans-1,2-disubstituted β-lactones. Mechanistic and theoretical studies described herein demonstrate that both the efficiency of this process and the high diastereoselectivity are highly dependent upon the type of ketene acetal employed but independent of ketene acetal geometry. Significantly, we propose a novel and distinct mechanistic pathway for the ZnCl2-mediated TMAL process versus other Mukaiyama aldol reactions based on our experimental evidence to date and further supported by calculations (B3LYP/BSI). Contrary to the commonly invoked mechanistic extremes of [2+2] cycloaddition and aldol lactonization mechanisms, investigations of the TMAL process suggest a concerted but asynchronous transition state between aldehydes and thiopyridyl ketene acetals. These calculations support a boat-like transition state that differs from commonly invoked Mukaiyama “open” or Zimmerman–Traxler “chair-like” transition-state models. Furthermore, experimental studies support the beneficial effect of pre-coordination between ZnCl2 and thiopyridyl ketene acetals prior to aldehyde addition for optimal reaction rates. Our previously proposed, silylated β-lactone intermediate that led to successful TMAL-based cascade sequences is also supported by the described calculations and ancillary experiments. These findings suggested that a similar TMAL process leading to β-lactones would be possible with an oxopyridyl ketene acetal, and this was confirmed experimentally, leading to a novel TMAL process that proceeds with efficiency comparable to that of the thiopyridyl system.

Covering: up to February 2011

Natural products are essential tools for basic cellular studies leading to the identification of medically relevant protein targets and the discovery of potential therapeutic leads. The development of methods that enable mild and selective derivatization of natural products continues to be of significant interest for mining their information-rich content. Herein, we describe novel diazo reagents for simultaneous arming and structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies of alcohol-containing natural products with a small steric footprint, namely, an α-trifluoroethyl (HTFB) substituted reagent. The Rh(II)-catalyzed O–H insertion reaction of several natural products, including the potent translation inhibitor lactimidomycin, was investigated, and useful reactivity and both chemo- and site (chemosite) selectivities were observed. Differential binding to the known protein targets of both FK506 and fumagillol was demonstrated, validating the advantage of the smaller steric footprint of α-trifluoroethyl derivatives. A p-azidophenyl diazo reagent is also described that will prove useful for photoaffinity labeling of low affinity small molecule protein receptors.

A full account of concise, enantioselective syntheses of the anticancer agent (−)-salinosporamide A and derivatives, including (−)-homosalinosporamide, that was inspired by biosynthetic considerations is described. The brevity of the synthetic strategy stems from a key bis-cyclization of a β-keto tertiary amide, which retains optical purity enabled by A1,3-strain rendering slow epimerization relative to the rate of bis-cyclization. Optimization studies of the key bis-cyclization, enabled through byproduct isolation and characterization, are described that ultimately allowed for a gram scale synthesis of a versatile bicyclic core structure with a high degree of stereoretention. An optimized procedure for zincate generation by the method of Knochel, generally useful for the synthesis of salino A derivatives, led to dramatic improvements in side-chain attachment and a novel diastereomer of salino A. The versatility of the described strategy is demonstrated by the synthesis of designed derivatives including (−)-homosalinosporamide A. Inhibition of the human 20S and 26S proteasome by these derivatives using an enzymatic assay are also reported. The described total synthesis of salino A raises interesting questions regarding how biosynthetic enzymes leading to the salinosporamides proceeding via optically active β-keto secondary amides, are able to maintain the stereochemical integrity at the labile C2 stereocenter or if a dynamic kinetic resolution is operative.

Quantum chemical computations (B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p)) were applied to examine the mechanisms of dyotropic rearrangements of spirolactones in order to assess whether these reactions are concerted. Mechanistic experiments, designed on the basis of the results of these calculations, support the conclusions derived from theory. In particular, Zn(II) salts or Brønsted acids induce stepwise dyotropic processes, whereas dyotropic rearrangements mediated by silyltriflates are concerted processes. Additional products isolated with Zn(II) salts support a stepwise process with a carbocationic intermediate. Furthermore, a facile Grob-type fragmentation emanating from both a tricyclic-β-lactone and a spiro-γ-lactone was identified.

Iodination of arene-containing natural products employing N-iodosuccinimide catalyzed by In(OTf)3 at ambient temperature is reported as a versatile and mild method for natural product derivatization amenable to small scale. This process facilitates natural product derivatization of arene moieties for SAR studies, homo- and heterodimerization of natural products, and also conjugation with reporters such as biotin via subsequent metal-mediated coupling reactions.

A double diastereoselective variant of the nucleophile-catalyzed aldol lactonization (NCAL) process is described. This strategy delivers β-lactone-fused carbocycles with good to excellent diastereoselectivities using cinchona alkaloid catalysts with enantioenriched aldehyde acids, which gave low diastereoselectivity based on substrate control alone. β-Lactone-fused tetrahydrofurans are also prepared for the first time via the NCAL process; however, diastereoselectivity was only modestly improved when applying double diastereodifferentiation to these systems.

A concise, enantioselective synthesis of the Phase I anticancer agent, (−)-salinosporamide A, is described. The brevity of the described strategy stems from a key bis-cyclization of a β-keto tertiary amide, accomplished on gram scale, which retains optical purity enabled by A1,3-strain rendering epimerization slow relative to the rate of bis-cyclization. The versatility of the strategy for derivative synthesis is demonstrated by the synthesis of (−)-homosalinosporamide A.

Numerous marine-derived pyrrole−imidazole alkaloids (PIAs), ostensibly derived from the simple precursor oroidin, 1a, have been reported and have garnered intense synthetic interest due to their complex structures and in some cases biological activity; however very little is known regarding their biosynthesis. We describe a concise synthesis of 7-15N-oroidin (1d) from urocanic acid and a direct method for measurement of 15N incorporation by pulse labeling and analysis by 1D 1H−15N HSQC NMR and FTMS. Using a mock pulse labeling experiment, we estimate the limit of detection (LOD) for incorporation of newly biosynthesized PIA by 1D 1H−15N HSQC to be 0.96 μg equivalent of 15N-oroidin (2.4 nmole) in a background of 1500 μg of unlabeled oroidin (about 1 part per 1600). 7-15N-Oroidin will find utility in biosynthetic feeding experiments with live sponges to provide direct information to clarify the pathways leading to more complex pyrrole−imidazole alkaloids.

A novel class of small spirocyclic heterocycles, spiroepoxy-β-lactones (1,4-dioxaspiro[2.3]-hexan-5-ones), is described that exhibit a number of interesting reactivity patterns. These spiroheterocycles, including an optically active series, are readily synthesized by epoxidation of ketene dimers (4-alkylidene-2-oxetanones) available from homo- or heteroketene dimerization. An analysis of bond lengths in these systems by X-ray crystallography and comparison to data for known spirocycles and those determined computationally suggest that anomeric effects in these systems may be more pronounced due to their rigidity and may contribute to their surprising stability. The synthetic utility of spiroepoxy-β-lactones was explored, and one facile rearrangement identified under several conditions provides a three-step route from acid chlorides to optically active tetronic acids, ubiquitous heterocycles in bioactive natural products. The addition of various nucleophiles to these spirocycles leads primarily to addition at C5 and C2. The utility of an optically active spiroepoxy-β-lactone was demonstrated in the concise, enantioselective synthesis of the antifouling agent, (+)-maculalactone A, which proceeds in five steps from hydrocinnamoyl chloride by way of a tetronic acid intermediate.

A concise, enantioselective synthesis of the Phase I anticancer agent, (−)-salinosporamide A, is described. The brevity of the described strategy stems from a key bis-cyclization of a β-keto tertiary amide, accomplished on gram scale, which retains optical purity enabled by A1,3-strain rendering epimerization slow relative to the rate of bis-cyclization. The versatility of the strategy for derivative synthesis is demonstrated by the synthesis of (−)-homosalinosporamide A.