The novel reactivity of in situ generated aza-oxyallyl cation intermediates with a variety of carbonyl compounds is reported to construct 4-oxazolidinones motifs with good yields and diastereoselectivities. This simple and efficient (3 + 2) cycloaddition method provides direct access to potential bioactive compounds.

An oxidative diaza-(3 + 2) cycloaddition reaction of simple urea derivatives with substituted indoles has been developed. This transformation provides rapid access to highly functionalized imidazoloindolines that are represented in bioactive compounds. The reported method is compatible with a wide variety of functional groups and directly provides unique heterocyclic scaffolds from indoles and a simple urea derivative.

A regioselective dearomative aza-(3 + 2) cycloaddition reaction of substituted indoles with α-halohydroxamates has been developed. This transformation provides rapid access to highly functionalized pyrroloindolines that are represented in large number of bioactive compounds. The natural product, physostigmine, has been concisely synthesized utilizing this method.

Diamination of alkenes and dienes has found widespread use in the synthesis of biologically active target molecules. Although the 1,2-diamination of alkenes has been comprehensively explored, versatile methods that install higher order 1,n-diamine moieties (e.g., n = 3–5) are not broadly developed. Herein, we report the development of an oxidative 1,4-diamination of dienes. This method represents one of the scarce examples of exclusive regioselectivity for 1,4-diamination. The reaction is easy to perform, uses simple reagents, works with a variety of functionalized dienes, and provides unique heterocyclic products.

The known prenylated benzoic acid derivative 3-geranyl-4-hydroxy-5-(3″,3″-dimethylallyl)benzoic acid (1) and two new chromane natural products were isolated from the methanolic extract of the leaves of Piper kelleyi Tepe (Piperaceae), a midcanopy tropical shrub that grows in lower montane rain forests in Ecuador and Peru. Structure determination using 1D and 2D NMR analysis led to the structure of the chromene 2 and to the reassignment of the structure of cumanensic acid as 4, an isomeric chromene previously isolated from Piper gaudichaudianum. The structure and relative configuration of new chromane 3 was determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis and was found to be racemic by ECD spectropolarimetry. The biological activity of 1–3 was evaluated against a lab colony of the generalist caterpillar Spodoptera exigua (Noctuidae), and low concentrations of 2 and 3 were found to significantly reduce fitness. Further consideration of the biosynthetic relationship of the three compounds led to the proposal that 1 is converted to 2 via an oxidative process, whereas 3 is produced through hetero-[4+2] dimerization of a quinone methide derived from the chromene 2.

The aza-oxyallylic cation is a reactive intermediate that undergoes a [4+3] cycloaddition with dienes to form seven-membered heterocycles. Although this type of intermediate was proposed over 50 years ago, only recently has experimental evidence been obtained to support its existence. This review highlights the historical studies of aza-oxyallylic cations and their recent development as intermediates for the synthesis of heterocycles and polyheterocyclic scaffolds.

Diaza-(4 + 3) cycloadditions of putative diaza-oxyallyl cationic intermediates and cyclic dienes are reported as a method for the 1,4-diamination of cyclic dienes. This reaction was entirely selective for diamination and provided cycloadducts in good to excellent yield.

Aza-[4 + 3] cycloadditions of putative aza-oxyallyl cationic intermediates and cyclic dienes are reported. The intermediate is generated by the dehydrohalogenation of α-haloamides. The reaction is general to a variety of α-haloamides and is diastereoselective. Computational and experimental data suggest that an N-alkoxy substituent stabilizes the aza-oxyallyl cationic intermediate.

•ZnoDH catalyzes the antepenultimate step in exo-brevicomin biosynthesis.•CYP6CR1 catalyzes the penultimate step in exo-brevicomin biosynthesis.•Both enzymes showed very high substrate specificity.•Genes for both enzymes are coordinately regulated.•These data are consistent with roles for both enzymes in exo-brevicomin production.exoBrevicomin (exo-7-ethyl-5-methyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octane) is an important semiochemical for a number of beetle species, including the highly destructive Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae). It is also found in other insects and the African elephant. Despite its significance, very little is known about its biosynthesis. A recent microarray analysis implicated a small cluster of three D. ponderosae genes in exo-brevicomin biosynthesis, two of which had identifiable open reading frames (Aw et al., 2010; BMC Genomics 11:215). Here we report further expression profiling of two genes in that cluster and functional analysis of their recombinantly-produced enzymes. One encodes a short-chain dehydrogenase that used NAD(P)+ as a co-factor to catalyze the oxidation of (Z)-6-nonen-2-ol to (Z)-6-nonen-2-one. We therefore named the enzyme (Z)-6-nonen-2-ol dehydrogenase (ZnoDH). The other encodes the cytochrome P450, CYP6CR1, which epoxidized (Z)-6-nonen-2-one to 6,7-epoxynonan-2-one with very high specificity and substrate selectivity. Both the substrates and products of the two enzymes are intermediates in the exo-brevicomin biosynthetic pathway. Thus, ZnoDH and CYP6CR1 are enzymes that apparently catalyze the antepenultimate and penultimate steps in the exo-brevicomin biosynthetic pathway, respectively.Download high-res image (139KB)Download full-size image