Total Syntheses of (+)-Ricinelaidic Acid Lactone and of (−)-Gloeosporone Based on Transition-Metal-Catalyzed C−C Bond Formations

Total syntheses of the macrolides (R)-(+)-ricinelaidic acid lactone (6) and (−)-gloeosporone (7), a fungal germination self-inhibitor, are presented, which are distinctly shorter and more efficient than any of the previous approaches to these targets reported in the literature. Both of them benefit from the remarkable ease of macrocyclization of 1,ω-dienes by means of ring-closing olefin metathesis (RCM) using the ruthenium carbene 1a as catalyst precursor. The diene substrates are readily formed via the enantioselective addition of dialkylzinc reagents to aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of Ti(OiPr)4 and bis-triflamide 18 and/or the stereoselective allylation of aldehydes developed by Keck et al. using allyltributylstannane in combination with a catalyst formed from Ti(OiPr)4 and (S)-(−)-1,1‘-bi-2-naphthol. Comparative studies show this latter procedure to be more practical than the stoichiometric allylation reaction employing the allyltitanium−α,α,α‘,α‘-tetraaryl-1,3-dioxolane-4,5-dimethanol complex 3b. Finally, a method for the efficient ring closure of 4-pentenoic acid esters by RCM is presented that relies on the joint use of 1a and Ti(OiPr)4 as a binary catalyst system. These results not only expand the scope of RCM to previously unreactive substrates but also provide additional evidence for the important role of ligation of the evolving ruthenium carbene center to a polar relay substituent on the substrate which constitutes the necessary internal bias for the RCM-based macrocyclization process

A Concise Total Synthesis of Dactylol via Ring Closing Metathesis

A straightforward total synthesis of the cyclooctenoid sesquiterpene dactylol (1) and of 3a-epi-dactylol (13) has been achieved in six synthetic operations. The unusual rearranged bicyclo[6.3.0]undecane isoprenoid skeleton of these target molecules has been formed via an initial three-component coupling triggered by 1,4-addition of a methylcopper reagent (MeLi, CuI, Bu3P) to cyclopentenone, followed by trapping of the enolate formed with 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenal as the electrophile. The aldol 8 thus obtained was elaborated into the trans-disubstituted cyclopentanone derivative 10 which reacted with a methallylcerium reagent to afford a mixture of the tertiary alcohols 11a and 12a. Separation and O-silylation of these diastereoisomers, ring-closing metathesis (RCM) of the resulting dienes 11b and 12b to form the cyclooctene ring using Schrocks molybdenum carbene 5 as a precatalyst, and a final deprotection afforded the title compound and its epimer in excellent yields. This approach clearly surpasses previous ones in terms of efficiency, flexibility, accessibility of the substrates, number of steps, atom economy, and overall yield

Multivariate Anisotropic Interpolation on the Torus

We investigate the error of periodic interpolation, when sampling a function on an arbitrary pattern on the torus. We generalize the periodic Strang-Fix conditions to an anisotropic setting and provide an upper bound for the error of interpolation. These conditions and the investigation of the error especially take different levels of smoothness along certain directions into account

Effect of Constitution on Mass of Individual Organs and Their Association with Metabolic Rate in Humans—A Detailed View on Allometric Scaling

Resting energy expenditure (REE)-power relationships result from multiple underlying factors including weight and height. In addition, detailed body composition, including fat free mass (FFM) and its components, skeletal muscle mass and internal organs with high metabolic rates (i.e. brain, heart, liver, kidneys), are major determinants of REE. Since the mass of individual organs scales to height as well as to weight (and, thus, to constitution), the variance in these associations may also add to the variance in REE. Here we address body composition (measured by magnetic resonance imaging) and REE (assessed by indirect calorimetry) in a group of 330 healthy volunteers differing with respect to age (17–78 years), sex (61% female) and BMI (15.9–47.8 kg/m2). Using three dimensional data interpolation we found that the inter-individual variance related to scaling of organ mass to height and weight and, thus, the constitution-related variances in either FFM (model 1) or kidneys, muscle, brain and liver (model 2) explained up to 43% of the inter-individual variance in REE. These data are the first evidence that constitution adds to the complexity of REE. Since organs scale differently as weight as well as height the “fit” of organ masses within constitution should be considered as a further trait

Delivery of a Chlamydial Adhesin N-PmpC Subunit Vaccine to the Ocular Mucosa Using Particulate Carriers

Trachoma, caused by the intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct), remains the world's leading preventable infectious cause of blindness. Recent attempts to develop effective vaccines rely on modified chlamydial antigen delivery platforms. As the mechanisms engaged in the pathology of the disease are not fully understood, designing a subunit vaccine specific to chlamydial antigens could improve safety for human use. We propose the delivery of chlamydia-specific antigens to the ocular mucosa using particulate carriers, bacterial ghosts (BGs). We therefore characterized humoral and cellular immune responses after conjunctival and subcutaneous immunization with a N-terminal portion (amino acid 1-893) of the chlamydial polymorphic membrane protein C (PmpC) of Ct serovar B, expressed in probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 bacterial ghosts (EcN BGs) in BALB/cmice. Three immunizations were performed at two-week intervals, and the immune responses were evaluated two weeks after the final immunization in mice. In a guinea pig model of ocular infection animals were immunized in the same manner as the mice, and protection against challenge was assessed two weeks after the last immunization. N-PmpC was successfully expressed within BGs and delivery to the ocularmucosa was well tolerated without signs of inflammation. N-PmpC- specific mucosal IgA levels in tears yielded significantly increased levels in the group immunized via the conjunctiva compared with the subcutaneously immunized mice. Immunization with N-PmpC EcN BGs via both immunization routes prompted the establishment of an N-PmpC-specific IFN gamma immune response. Immunization via the conjunctiva resulted in a decrease in intensity of the transitional inflammatory reaction in conjunctiva of challenged guinea pigs compared with subcutaneously and non-immunized animals. The delivery of the chlamydial subunit vaccine to the ocular mucosa using a particulate carrier, such as BGs, induced both humoral and cellular immune responses. Further investigations are needed to improve the immunization scheme and dosage

Macrocycles by Ring-Closing Metathesis

The ruthenium carbene complexes 1 and 2 (0.05-5 mol%) catalyse highly efficient macrocyclization reactions of 1,ω-dienes by ring-closing metathesis (RCM). Key parameters for successful RCM are (i) the presence of a functional group which serves as a relay entity that assembles the reacting sites, (ii) an appropriate distance between this polar group and the alkenes to be metathesized, and (iii) low steric congestion near the double bonds. Contrary to previous assumptions, however, the ring size formed and the conformational predisposition of the substrates for ring closure turned out to be of minor importance. These aspects are illustrated by some straightforward syntheses of macrocyclic lactones, lactams, ethers and ketones, including the musk odored perfume ingredients Exaltolide, Exaltone and Arova 16, of the macrolide recifeiolide (24), as well as of the alkaloids epilachnene (40) and its homologue 9-propyl-10-azacyclododecan-12-olide (39), which are active principles of the defense secretions of the pupae of the mexican beetle Epilachnar varivestis

Olefin Metathesis in Compressed Carbon Dioxide

The product distribution can be controlled by varying the density of the reaction medium when olefin metatheses of acyclic dienes are carried out in supercritical CO2 (scCO2), as shown below. Substrates with NH groups, which are generally not tolerated in conventional solvents, are compatible with Ru-based metathesis catalysts in scCO2. Avoidance of potentially hazardous organic solvents, simple isolation of the products, and the recovery of the catalysts in active form are additional practical advantages associated with using compressed CO2 as reaction medium for ring-closing metathesis (RCM) and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)

Olefin Metathesis in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is a versatile reaction medium for ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and ring-closing olefin metathesis (RCM) reactions using well-defined metal catalysts. The molybdenum alkylidene complex 1 and ruthenium carbenes 2 and 3 bearing PCy3 or N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, respectively, can be used and are found to exhibit efficiency similar to that in chlorinated organic solvents. While compound 1 is readily soluble in scCO2, complexes 2 and 3 behave like heterogeneous catalysts in this reaction medium. Importantly, however, the unique properties of scCO2 provide significant advantages beyond simple solvent replacement. This pertains to highly convenient workup procedures both for polymeric and low molecular weight products, to catalyst immobilization, to reaction tuning by density control (RCM versus acyclic diene metathesis polymerization), and to applications of scCO2 as a protective medium for basic amine functions. The latter phenomenon is explained by the reversible formation of the corresponding carbamic acid as evidenced by 1H NMR data obtained in compressed CO2. Together with its environmentally and toxicologically benign character, these unique physicochemical features sum up to a very attractive solvent profile of carbon dioxide for sustainable synthesis and production