The asymmetric syntheses of pyrrolizidines, indolizidines and quinolizidines via two sequential tandem ring-closure/N-debenzylation processes.

Concise asymmetric syntheses of (-)-lupinine, (+)-isoretronecanol, (+)-5-epi-tashiromine and (R,R)-1-(hydroxymethyl)octahydroindolizine (the azabicyclic core within stellettamides A-C) have been achieved in 8 steps or fewer from commercially available starting materials. The key steps in these syntheses involved the preparation of enantiopure β-amino esters, upon conjugate addition of lithium (R)-N-(p-methoxybenzyl)-N-(α-methyl-p-methoxybenzyl)amide to either ζ-chloro or ζ-hydroxy substituted tert-butyl (E)-hept-2-enoate, or ε-chloro or ε-hydroxy substituted tert-butyl (E)-hex-2-enoate. Activation of the ω-substituent as a leaving group led to SN2-type ring-closure, which occurred with concomitant N-debenzylation via an E1-type deprotection step, to give the corresponding pyrrolidine or piperidine in good yield.

Stereospecific cyclization strategies for α,ε-dihydroxy-β-amino esters: asymmetric syntheses of imino and amino sugars.

A range of biologically significant imino and amino sugars [1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-allitol, 3,6-dideoxy-3,6-imino-L-allonic acid, (3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxy-L-proline, 1,5-anhydro-4-deoxy-4-amino-D-glucitol, and 1,5-anhydro-4-deoxy-4-amino-L-iditol] has been prepared via stereospecific cyclization of α,ε-dihydroxy-β-amino esters. These substrates are readily prepared via conjugate addition of lithium (S)-N-benzyl-N-(α-methylbenzyl)amide to enantiopure α,β-unsaturated esters (β-substituted with cis- and trans-dioxolane units) coupled with in situ enolate oxidation with camphorsulfonyloxaziridine (CSO). Activation of the ε-hydroxyl group allowed cyclization to either the corresponding pyrrolidine or the tetrahydropyran scaffold, with the course of the cyclization process being dictated by the relative configuration of the dioxolane unit.

An efficient asymmetric synthesis of (-)-lupinine.

The asymmetric synthesis of (-)-lupinine was achieved in 8 steps, 15% overall yield and >99 : 1 dr from commercially available starting materials. The strategy used for the construction of the quinolizidine scaffold involved reaction of an enantiopure tertiary dibenzylamine via two sequential ring-closures which both occurred with concomitant N-debenzylation.

Asymmetric syntheses of APTO and AETD: the β-amino acid fragments within microsclerodermins C, D, and E.

Efficient asymmetric syntheses of APTO and AETD, the highly functionalized β-amino acid fragments within microsclerodermins C, D, and E, are reported. The conjugate addition of lithium (R)-N-benzyl-N-(α-methylbenzyl)amide to tert-butyl (E,E)-7-(triisopropylsilyloxy)hepta-2,4-dienoate and in situ enolate oxidation with (-)-camphorsulfonyloxaziridine, diastereoselective dihydroxylation of a 2,3-syn-γ,δ-unsaturated-α-hydroxy-β-amino ester derivative under Donohoe conditions, and a Julia-Kocieński olefination were used as the key steps.

On the origins of diastereoselectivity in the conjugate additions of the antipodes of lithium N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide to enantiopure cis- and trans-dioxolane containing α,β-unsaturated esters.

"Matching" and "mismatching" effects in the doubly diastereoselective conjugate additions of the antipodes of lithium N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide to enantiopure cis- and trans-dioxolane containing α,β-unsaturated esters have been investigated. High levels of substrate control were established first upon conjugate addition of achiral lithium N-benzyl-N-isopropylamide to both tert-butyl (S,S,E)-4,5-O-isopropylidene-4,5-dihydroxyhex-2-enoate and tert-butyl (4R,5S,E)-4,5-O-isopropylidene-4,5-dihydroxyhex-2-enoate. However, upon conjugate addition of lithium (R)-N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide and lithium (S)-N-benzyl-(N-α-methylbenzyl)amide to these substrates, neither reaction pairing reinforced the apparent sense of substrate control.