Aryne Acyl-Alkylation in the General and Convergent Synthesis of Benzannulated Macrolactone Natural Products: An Enantioselective Synthesis of (−)-Curvularin

A general approach for the synthesis of benzannulated macrolactone natural products utilizing an aryne acyl-alkylation reaction is described. Toward this end, the total syntheses of the natural products (−)-curvularin, curvulin, and (−)-diplodialide C are reported. Furthermore, the aryne insertion technology has enabled the rapid conversion of simple diplodialide natural products to curvularin, thereby connecting these two biosynthetically distinct classes of compounds via synthetic methods

Regioselective Reactions of Highly Substituted Arynes

The fully regioselective reactivity of four new highly substituted silyl aryl triflate aryne precursors in aryne acyl-alkylation, acyl-alkylation/condensation, and heteroannulation reactions is reported. The application of these more complex arynes provides access to diverse natural product scaffolds and obviates late-stage functionalization of aromatic rings

Synthesis and Activity of Six-Membered Cyclic Alkyl Amino Carbene–Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalysts

Ru–cyclic alkyl amino carbene (Ru–CAAC) olefin metathesis catalysts perform extraordinarily in metathesis macrocyclization and ethenolysis, but previous studies have been limited to the use of five-membered CAAC (CAAC-5) ligands. In this work, we synthesized a different group of ruthenium catalysts with more σ-donating and π-accepting six-membered CAAC (CAAC-6) ligands, and their metathesis activity was probed through initiation studies, ring-closing metathesis (RCM), cross-metathesis, and ethenolysis. These catalysts display higher initiation rates than analogous Ru–CAAC-5 complexes but demonstrate lower activity in RCM and ethenolysis

Effects of NHC-Backbone Substitution on Efficiency in Ruthenium-Based Olefin Metathesis

series of ruthenium olefin metathesis catalysts bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with varying degrees of backbone and N-aryl substitution have been prepared. These complexes show greater resistance to decomposition through C−H activation of the N-aryl group, resulting in increased catalyst lifetimes. This work has utilized robotic technology to examine the activity and stability of each catalyst in metathesis, providing insights into the relationship between ligand architecture and enhanced efficiency. The development of this robotic methodology has also shown that, under optimized conditions, catalyst loadings as low as 25 ppm can lead to 100% conversion in the ring-closing metathesis of diethyl diallylmalonate

High-Throughput Screening of the Asymmetric Decarboxylative Alkylation Reaction of Enolate-Stabilized Enol Carbonates

The use of high-throughput screening allowed for the optimization of reaction conditions for the palladium-catalyzed asymmetric decarboxylative alkylation reaction of enolate-stabilized enol carbonates. Changing to a nonpolar reaction solvent and to an electron-deficient PHOX derivative as ligand from our standard ­reaction conditions improved the enantioselectivity for the alkylation of a ketal-protected,1,3-diketone-derived enol carbonate from 28% ee to 84% ee. Similar improvements in enantioselectivity were seen for a β-keto ester derived and an α-phenyl cyclohexanone-­derived enol carbonate

The Total Synthesis of (–)-Scabrolide A

The first total synthesis of the norcembranoid diterpenoid scabrolide A is disclosed. The route begins with the synthesis of two chiral pool-derived fragments, which undergo a convergent coupling to expediently introduce all 19 carbon atoms of the natural product. An intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction and an enone–olefin cycloaddition/fragmentation sequence are then employed to construct the fused [5–6–7] linear carbocyclic core of the molecule and complete the total synthesis

Atroposelective Synthesis of PINAP via Dynamic Kinetic Asymmetric Transformation

The atroposelective synthesis of PINAP ligands has been accomplished via a palladium‐catalyzed C−P coupling process through dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation. These catalytic conditions allow access to a wide variety of alkoxy‐ and benzyloxy‐substituted PINAP ligands in high enantiomeric excess. The methods described in this communication afford valuable P,N ligands in good yields and high enantioselectivity using low catalyst loading

A Catalytic, Asymmetric Formal Synthesis of (+)-Hamigeran B

A concise asymmetric, formal synthesis of (+)-hamigeran B is reported. A Pd-catalyzed, decarboxylative allylic alkylation, employing a trifluoromethylated derivative of t-BuPHOX, is utilized as the enantioselective step to form the critical quaternary carbon center in excellent yield and enantioselectivity. The product is converted in three steps to a late-stage intermediate previously used in the synthesis of hamigeran B