1,2,5,10,11,14-hexaoxadispiro[5.2.5.2]hexadecanes: novel spirofused bis-trioxane peroxides.

A set of new bis-spirofused 1,2,4-trioxanes 4a-d was obtained from the reaction of cyclohexane-1,4-dione with allylic hydroperoxides 2a-d, bearing an additional hydroxy group in the homoallylic position, by diastereoselective photooxygenation of allylic alcohols 1a-d and subsequent BF(3)-catalyzed peroxyacetalization with the diketone. From the reaction of a monoprotected cyclohexane-1,4-dione 5 with the allylic hydroperoxide 6 derived from the singlet oxygenation of methyl hydroxytiglate, one monospiro compound was obtained, the 1,2,4-trioxane ketone 7, as well as a mixture of the diastereoisomeric syn- and anti bis-1,2,4-trioxanes 8. The structures of bis-1,2,4-trioxanes were examined theoretically by DFT methods and compared with X-ray structural data in order to evaluate the preferential trioxane ring conformational orientation.

Highly enantioselective epoxidation of 2-methylnaphthoquinone (vitamin K3) mediated by new cinchona alkaloid phase-transfer catalysts.

In the area of catalytic asymmetric epoxidation, the highly enantioselective transformation of cyclic enones and quinones is an extremely challenging target. With the aim to develop new and highly effective phase-transfer catalysts for this purpose, we conducted a systematic structural variation of PTCs based on quinine and quinidine. In the total of 15 new quaternary ammonium PTCs, modifications included, for example, the exchange of the quinine methoxy group for a free hydroxyl or other alkoxy substituents, and the introduction of additional elements of chirality through alkylation of the alkaloid quinuclidine nitrogen atom by chiral electrophiles.

Enantiomerically pure isophorone diamine [3-(aminomethyl)-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexylamine]: a chiral 1,4-diamine building block made available on large scale.

Isophorone diamine [IPDA, 3-(aminomethyl)-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexylamine] is a chiral non-C2-symmetric 1,4-diamine which is produced industrially on large scale as the mixture of all four stereoisomers (cis/trans ca. 3:1). Starting from this industrial bulk product, the preparation of the bis-tosyl, bis-Fmoc, bis-Boc and bis-Z derivatives of cis-IPDA, the preparation of the pure cis enantiomers by HPLC on chiral stationary phase, and the assignment of absolute configurations to the isolated enantiomers are described.

Structural optimization of thiourea-based bifunctional organocatalysts for the highly enantioselective dynamic kinetic resolution of azlactones.

This article describes the synthesis of a library of structurally diverse bifunctional organocatalysts bearing both a quasi-Lewis acidic (thio)urea moiety and a Brønsted basic tertiary amine group. Sequential modification of the modular catalyst structure and subsequent screening of the compounds in the alcoholytic dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of azlactones revealed valuable structure-activity relationships. In particular, a "hit-structure" was identified which provides e.

The X-ray structure of the pyochelin Fe3+ complex.

By X-ray structure analysis it could be shown that from the solution equilibrium of pyochelin I and II, differing in the stereochemistry at C-2" (1a and 1b), crystals of the Fe3+ complex of the steroisomer 1a are formed with a 1:1 metal-to-ligand ratio. Ligand sites are the carboxylate and the phenolate anions and the two nitrogen atoms. Two equivalent ferri-pyochelin moieties are held together by a hydroxy and an acetate unit which satisfy the remaining two coordination sites of Fe3+.

Total synthesis of (-)-colchicine via a Rh-triggered cycloaddition cascade.

[reaction: see text] A synthesis of the antimitotic alkaloids (-)-colchicine and (-)-isocolchicine is reported. Important steps are (a) enantioselective transfer-hydrogenation of an alkynone, (b) iodine/magnesium exchange with subsequent aromatic acylation, (c) Rh-catalyzed transformation of an alpha-diazoketone into an oxatetracyclic key intermediate through intramolecular [3 + 2]-cycloaddition of an in situ generated carbonyl ylide, and (d) regioselective conversion of the cycloadduct into a tropolone derivative. The new synthetic strategy opens an efficient enantioselective access to colchicine and structural analogues.

Second-generation organocatalysts for the highly enantioselective dynamic kinetic resolution of azlactones.

Bifunctional organocatalysts of the thiourea-tert-amine type, carrying two "matched" elements of chirality, effect the alcoholytic dynamic kinetic resolution of a variety of azlactones with up to 95% ee.

Novel spiroanellated 1,2,4-trioxanes with high in vitro antimalarial activities.

A remarkable increase in antimalarial in vitro activity was achieved by integration of spiroadamantane motifs in 6-alkylidene 1,2,4-trioxanes 3a-h via diastereoselective photooxygenation of allylic alcohols and subsequent BF(3)-catalyzed peroxyacetalization with adamantanone to give the active compounds 3e-h.

Transition-metal-mediated synthesis of novel carbocyclic nucleoside analogues with antitumoral activity.

A diversity-oriented, enantioselective synthesis of new (monoprotected) carbocyclic nucleoside analogues (CNAs) with the nucleobase attached to a 3-hydroxymethyl-4-trialkylsilyloxymethylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl scaffold was developed. As a key intermediate, racemic (5SR,8RS)-8-allyloxy-2-trimethylsilyl-7-oxa-bicyclo[3.3.

Enantioselective synthesis of DIANANE, a novel C2-symmetric chiral diamine for asymmetric catalysis.

DIANANE (endo,endo-2,5-diaminonorbornane) is a novel chiral C(2)-symmetric diamine, based on the rigid bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane scaffold.

Stereoselective generation of vicinal stereogenic quaternary centers by photocycloaddition of 5-methoxy oxazoles to alpha-keto esters: synthesis of erythro beta-hydroxy dimethyl aspartates.

The photocycloaddition of methyl pyruvate and methyl phenylglyoxylate, respectively, to 5-methoxy oxazoles bearing additional substituents at C-2 and C-4 leads to bicyclic oxetanes 2 and 3 with high to moderate (exo) diastereoselectivity that can be easily ring-opened to give bis-quaternary aspartic acid diester derivatives 4 and 5.

Synthesis of erythro-alpha-amino beta-hydroxy carboxylic acid esters by diastereoselective photocycloaddition of 5-methoxyoxazoles with aldehydes.

A new photoaldol route to alpha-amino-beta-hydroxy carboxylic acid esters is initiated by the photocycloaddition of aromatic or aliphatic aldehydes to 5-methoxyoxazoles. The 4-unsubstituted 5-methyloxazole 1 gave the cycloadducts 8a-f in high yields and excellent exo-diastereoselectivities. Hydrolysis of 8a-f gives the N-acetyl alpha-amino-beta-hydroxy esters 9a-f, which could be subsequently converted into the corresponding Z-didehydro alpha-amino acids 10a-f.

Spiroconjugation in spirodicorrolato-dinickel(II).

In the present work the effect of spiroconjugation on the electronic spectrum of the recently synthesized metal complex hexadecaethylspirodicorrolato-dinickel(II) (5) (the corrole units in 5 are isoforms) is investigated. To have a suitable reference compound at our disposal, tetraethylhexamethylisocorrolato nickel(II) (7) has been prepared. On comparing the electronic spectra of this reference compound and the spiro-complex, bathochromic shifts of all absorption bands in the NIR/Vis-region are observed for the latter as well as marked changes in the spectral intensities.

Electronically tuned chiral ruthenium porphyrins: extremely stable and selective catalysts for asymmetric epoxidation and cyclopropanation.

We report the use of three enantiomerically pure and electronically tuned ruthenium carbonyl porphyrin catalysts for the asymmetric cyclopropanation and epoxidation of a variety of olefinic substrates. The D(4)-symmetric ligands carry a methoxy, a methyl or a trifluoromethyl group at the 10-position of each of the 9-[anti-(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-1,4:5,8-dimethanoanthracene)]-substituents at the meso-positions of the porphyrin. Introduction of a CF(3)-substituent in this remote position resulted in greatly improved catalyst stability, and turnover numbers of up to 7500 were achieved for cyclopropanation, and up to 14,200 for epoxidation, with ee values typically >90 % and approximately equal to 80 %, respectively.

Photocyclization of N,N-phthaloylanthranilic amides coupled to omega-amino acids with increasing chain lengths.

Medium-sized heterocyclic ring systems are available via a photo-electron transfer (PET)-induced decarboxylation-cyclization sequence using a triad composed of electronically excited acceptor, linker and electrondonor A*-L-D with target ring sizes varying from 8-16.

An approach to serrulatane diterpenes via endo-selective conjugate nucleophilic addition to arene-Cr(CO)3 complexes.

[formula: see text] Starting from a nonracemic planar-chiral arene tricarbonyl chromium complex, the serrulatane diterpenoid (+)-20-methoxy-serrulat-14-en-7,8-diol was synthesized in a highly stereoselective fashion. The key step of the synthesis is an endo-selective conjugate nucleophilic addition of lithio-methylphenyl sulfone to a 1-ethylidene-tetralin-Cr(CO)3 derivative. By employing different substrates and nucleophiles it was shown that the surprising and rather general endo selectivity must result from a unique complex induced proximity effect under participation of the Cr(CO)3 moiety.

A photochemical route for efficient cyclopeptide formation with a minimum of protection and activation chemistry.

An elaborated protocol is described which allows the efficient transformation of di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides into cyclopeptides with a minimum of protection and activation chemistry using the photoinduced electron transfer initiated decarboxylation of N-phthaloyl peptides resulting in C-C coupling between the initially formed carbon radicals.

Metal complexes of porphycene, corrphycene, and hemiporphycene: stability and coordination chemistry.

Porphyrin (P), porphycene (Pc), corrphycene (Cn), and hemiporphycene (Hpc) represent a series of well defined "4-N in" constitutional porphyrin isomers. These isomers, in the form of their octaethyl derivatives, represent a congruent set of porphyrinoids whose properties can be compared. In this study we report how variations in electronic structure and nitrogen-core size in the free-base forms of these four systems are reflected in the properties of their corresponding metal complexes.

An efficient organometallic approach to new carbocyclic nucleoside analogues.

[reaction: see text] A general synthetic approach to monoprotected carbocyclic nucleoside analogues, having the nucleobase attached to a 3-hydroxymethyl-4-trialkylsilyloxymethyl-cyclopent-2-en-1-yl scaffold, was developed. A (racemic) key intermediate was prepared by a cobalt-mediated Pauson-Khand reaction. In the course of the further synthesis, the introduction of the nucleobase was achieved with complete regio- and diastereoselectivity through a palladium-catalyzed allylic substitution.