The cobalt way to angucyclinones: asymmetric total synthesis of the antibiotics (+)-rubiginone B2, (-)-tetrangomycin, and (-)-8-O-methyltetrangomycin.

A cobalt(I)-mediated convergent and asymmetric total synthesis of angucyclinones with an aromatic B ring has been developed. In the course of our research, we synthesized three naturally occurring anguclinone derivatives, namely, (+)-rubiginone B(2) (1), (-)-8-O-methyltetrangomycin (2), and (-)-tetrangomycin (3). By combining 3-hydroxybenzoic acid, 3-methoxybenzoic acid, citronellal, and geraniol as starting materials in a convergent way, we were able to synthesize chiral triyne chains, which were cyclized with [CpCo(C(2)H(4))(2)] (Cp=cyclopentadienyl) by means of an intramolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition to their corresponding tetrahydrobenzo[a]anthracenes.

Nitroimidazoles, part 2: Synthesis, antiviral and antitumor activity of new 4-nitroimidazoles.

A series of 5-alkylamino and 5-alkylsulfanyl derivatives of 1-aryl-2-alkyl-4-nitro-1H-imidazoles 12-21, 31, and 34 were synthesized by a simple method with the aim to develop novel HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). All the new compounds were tested against HIV-1 and HIV-2 in MT-4 cells. Compound 21, with an arylsulfanyl group at C(5) of the 4-nitro-1H-imidazole backbone showed an EC(50) value of 0.

Synthesis of the benz[a]anthraquinone core of angucyclinone antibiotics.

[reaction: see text] A general method for the synthesis of benz[a]anthraquinones is reported. The key step is a catalytic cobalt-mediated [2+2+2]-cycloaddition of a triyne, which affords an angularly substituted tetracycle. Oxidation of this core gives the typical structure of angucyclinone antibiotics.