Stereodivergent Synthesis of 6,12-Guaianolide C1 Epimers via a Rationally Designed Oxy-Cope/Ene Reaction Cascade.

Nature synthesizes epimeric C1 guaianolide congeners, key components of major natural product classes, through a single structurally flexible macrocyclic germacranolide core. Our rationally designed elemanolide-type scaffold () now mimics this natural process, enabling the stereodivergent synthesis of both C1 epimers of 6,12-guaianolide lactone motifs. An oxy-Cope/ene cascade acts as the key step of this process, generating two distinct conformers of an intermediate germacranolide, each leading to a specific C1 epimer.

Expanding Natural Diversity: Tailored Enrichment of the 8,12-Sesquiterpenoid Lactone Chemical Space through Divergent Synthesis.

The divergent synthesis of a non-natural 8,12-sesquiterpenoid lactone collection is described. The synthesis relies on a rationally designed guaianolide scaffold bearing a tertiary hydroxyl as the pinpoint for inducing its selective diversification. Key reactions include an unprecedented Suarez-type CH lactonization and a highly diastereoselective oxy-Cope/ene cascade that allows the introduction of three stereocenters in a single operation.

Preparation and Characterization of H-Shaped Polylactide.

An H-polymer has an architecture that consists of four branches symmetrically attached to the ends of a polymer backbone, similar in shape to the letter "H". Here, a renewable H-polymer efficiently synthesized using only ring-opening transesterification is demonstrated. The strategy relies on a tetrafunctional poly(±-lactide) macroinitiator, from which four poly(±-lactide) branches are grown simultaneously.

Climbing the Oxidase Phase Ladder by Using Dioxygen as the Sole Oxidant: The Case Study of Costunolide.

Natural sesquiterpenoid lactones are prominent scaffolds in drug discovery. Despite the progress made in their synthesis, their extensive oxidative decoration makes their chemo- and stereoselective syntheses highly challenging. Herein, we report our effort to mimic part of the oxidase phase used in the costunolide pathway to achieve the protecting-group-free total synthesis of santamarine, dehydrocostus lactone, estafiatin, and nine more related natural sesquiterpenoid lactones by using dioxygen as the sole oxidant.

Cylinders-in-Undulating-Lamellae Morphology from ABC Bottlebrush Block Terpolymers.

Block polymer self-assembly affords a versatile bottom-up strategy to develop materials with the desired properties dictated by specific symmetries and dimensions. Owing to distinct properties compared with linear counterparts, bottlebrush block polymers with side chains densely grafted on a backbone have attracted extensive attention. However, the morphologies found in bottlebrush block polymers so far are limited, and only lamellar and cylindrical ordered phases have been reported in diblock bottlebrushes.