SAR Studies of the Leupyrrins: Design and Total Synthesis of Highly Potent Simplified Leupylogs.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Dirk Menche at the University of Bonn. The image depicts the natural product leupyrrin A and a synthetic leupylog in balance on an IC50 weighing scale. Read the full text of the article at 10.

SAR Studies of the Leupyrrins: Design and Total Synthesis of Highly Potent Simplified Leupylogs.

Leupyrrins are highly potent antifungal agents. A structure-activity-relationship study of natural and synthetic derivatives is reported which reveals important insights into the biological relevance of several structural subunits leading to the discovery of highly potent but drastically simplified leupylogs that incorporate a stable and readily available aromatic side chain. For their synthesis a concise strategy is described that enables a short and versatile access.

Enantioselective Total Synthesis of (+)-Salimabromide Reveals Almost Racemic Nature of Natural Salimabromide.

The enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-salimabromide was accomplished by a concise two-step conversion of the fully functionalized dibromo-tetraline core, involving a one-pot Baeyer-Villiger/allylic oxidation by an innovative radical reagent combination. This route unequivocally resolves the stereochemistry and reveals the highly unusual, almost racemic nature of natural salimabromide.