Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (–)-Myrifabral A and B

A catalytic enantioselective approach to the Myrioneuron alkaloids (−)-myrifabral A and (−)-myrifabral B is described. The synthesis was enabled by a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation, that generates the C(10) all-carbon quaternary center. A key N-acyl iminium ion cyclization forged the cyclohexane fused tricyclic core, while vinyl boronate cross metathesis and oxidation afforded the lactol ring of (−)-myrifabral A. Adaptation of previously reported conditions allowed for the conversion of (−)-myrifabral A to (−)-myrifabral B

Enantioselective synthesis of highly oxygenated acyclic quaternary center-containing building blocks via palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation of cyclic siloxyketones

The development of a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective decarboxylative allylic alkylation of cyclic siloxyketones to produce enantioenriched silicon-tethered heterocycles is reported. The reaction proceeds smoothly to provide products bearing a quaternary stereocenter in excellent yields (up to 91% yield) with high levels of enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee). We further utilized the unique reactivity of the siloxy functionality to access chiral, highly oxygenated acyclic quaternary building blocks. In addition, we subsequently demonstrated the utility of these compounds through the synthesis of a lactone bearing vicinal quaternary-trisubstituted stereocenters

Incorporation of a chiral gem-disubstituted nitrogen heterocycle yields an oxazolidinone antibiotic with reduced mitochondrial toxicity

gem-Disubstituted N-heterocycles are rarely found in drugs, despite their potential to improve the drug-like properties of small molecule pharmaceuticals. Linezolid, a morpholine heterocycle-containing oxazolidinone antibiotic, exhibits significant side effects associated with human mitochondrial protein synthesis inhibition. We synthesized a gem-disubstituted linezolid analogue that when compared to linezolid, maintains comparable (albeit slightly diminished) activity against bacteria, comparable in vitro physicochemical properties, and a decrease in undesired mitochondrial protein synthesis (MPS) inhibition. This research contributes to the structure-activity-relationship data surrounding oxazolidinone MPS inhibition, and may inspire investigations into the utility of gem-disubstituted N-heterocycles in medicinal chemistry

Reactions Of 1,3-Dibromo-1,1-Difluoro Compounds With 1,8-Diazabicyclo[5.4.0]Undec-7-Ene

Difluorodienes result from the double dehydrobromination of 4-aryl-1,3-dibromo-1,1-difluorobutanes with DBU. Attempted syntheses of analogous 4-alkyl or 4-alkoxy dienes yield monoelimination products under mild conditions and unexpected trifluoro compounds under more vigorous conditions. 4-Aryl-1,1-difluoro-1,3-butadienes react rapidly with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione in Diels-Alder reactions, but these dienes are unreactive toward several other electron-deficient and electron-rich dienophiles

Stacking with No Planarity?

This viewpoint describes the results obtained from matched molecular pair analyses and quantum mechanics calculations that show unsaturated rings found in drug-like molecules may be replaced with their saturated counterparts without losing potency even if they are engaged in stacking interactions with the side chains of aromatic residues

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (–)-Myrifabral A and B

A catalytic enantioselective approach to the myrioneuron alkaloids (–)-myrifabral A and (–)-myrifabral B is described. The synthesis was enabled by a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation, that generates the C(10) all-carbon quaternary center. A key N-acyl iminium ion cyclization forged the cyclohexane fused tricyclic core, while vinyl boronate cross metathesis and oxidation afforded the lactol ring of (–)-myrifabral A. Adaptation of previously reported conditions allowed for the conversion of (–)-myrifabral A to (–)-myrifabral B.</p

Enantioselective synthesis of highly oxygenated acyclic quaternary center-containing building blocks via palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative allylic alkylation of cyclic siloxyketones

The development of a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective decarboxylative allylic alkylation of cyclic siloxyketones to produce enantioenriched silicon-tethered heterocycles is reported. The reaction proceeds smoothly to provide products bearing a quaternary stereocenter in excellent yields (up to 91% yield) with high levels of enantioselectivity (up to 94% ee). We further utilized the unique reactivity of the siloxy functionality to access chiral, highly oxygenated acyclic quaternary building blocks. In addition, we subsequently demonstrated the utility of these compounds through the synthesis of a lactone bearing vicinal quaternary-trisubstituted stereocenters

Ir-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation of Dialkyl Malo-nates Enabling the Construction of Enantioenriched All-Carbon Quaternary Centers

ABSTRACT: An enantioselective iridium-catalyzed allylic alkylation of malonates with trisubstituted allylic electro-philes to form all-carbon quaternary stereocenters is reported. This cross-coupling reaction features unprecedented reactivity at ambient temperature, particularly for challenging fully alkyl-substituted allylic electrophiles, and ena-bles the preparation of a wide range of enantioenriched products in up to 93% yield and 97% ee. The products of this transformation can be readily converted to a number of valuable building blocks including vicinal quaternary stereodiads and β-quaternary acids. This method was also used to prepare an enantioenriched intermediate facilitat-ing the asymmetric formal synthesis of the sporochnol family of natural products

Accelerating Effect of Triazolyl and Related Heteroaryl Substituents on S_NAr Reactions: Evidence of Hydrogen-Bond Stabilized Transition States

The remarkable accelerating effect of 1,2,3-triazolyl substituents on S_NAr reactions has been investigated through systematic experiments and density functional theory calculations. The lone pair electrons of an <i>ortho</i>-triazolo substituent play a key role in lowering the activation energy for nucleophilic addition via formation of a preferential hydrogen bond with the amine nucleophile at the transition state for addition. In an extension of this finding, a series of related heteroaryl groups with similar electron pair donor properties have also been found to facilitate S_NAr reactions. The experimentally determined solvent effect provides further support for this rationale, which was utilized to achieve an <i>ortho</i>-selective substitution on a difluoroarene substrate