Aryl–Allene Cyclization via a Hg(OTf)₂‑Catalytic Pathway

Hg­(OTf)₂-catalyzed aryl–allene cyclization accompanied by formation of a quaternary carbon center has been realized. Deuterium-labeling experiments and computational modeling were used to propose a novel catalytic pathway involving direct H-transfer from the aromatic ring to the vinyl mercury moiety followed by mercury 1,2-migration

Total Synthesis of (−)-Thallusin: Utilization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Resolution

(−)-Thallusin, isolated from a marine bacterium, is the only known natural product to act as an algal morphogenesis inducer. Because (−)-thallusin can only be obtained in exceedingly limited amounts from microbial cultivation, a synthetic supply of this compound is highly desirable. Here, we describe a novel synthetic pathway to (±)-thallusin and the first asymmetric synthesis of (−)-thallusin utilizing the enzymatic hydrolysis resolution with the combination of lipase PS-30 and lipase M Amamo-10