Progress toward the Total Synthesis of Nogalamycin Using a Benzyne Cycloaddition Strategy.

Nogalamycin (NOG) is a member of the anthracycline glycoside natural products; no total syntheses have yet been reported, and there is minimal understanding of how the aglycone substitution pattern and identities of the A- and D-ring sugars impact the anticancer activity and toxicity. This paper reports progress toward a modular approach to NOG that could enable systematic structure-activity relationship studies. Key steps include a regioselective benzyne cycloaddition and reductive ring-opening to assemble a versatile AB core for analogue synthesis.

Re-Evaluation of Product Outcomes in the Rh-Catalyzed Ring Expansion of Aziridines with N-Sulfonyl-1,2,3-Triazoles.

N-heterocycles are prevalent in pharmaceuticals and natural products, but traditional methods often do not introduce significant stereochemical complexity into the ring. We previously reported a Rh-catalyzed ring expansion of aziridines and N-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles to furnish dehydropiperazines with excellent diastereocontrol. However, later studies employing ketone-containing carbene precursors showed that [3,9]-bicyclic aziridine formation competes with production of the desired heterocyclic scaffolds. In light of these surprising results, our initial findings were re-examined both experimentally and computationally to reveal how noncovalent interactions and restricted bond rotation in the aziridinium ylide intermediate promote this unexpected reaction pathway.

Rh-Catalyzed Aziridine Ring Expansions to Dehydropiperazines.

Piperazines are prevalent in pharmaceuticals and natural products, but traditional methods do not typically introduce stereochemical complexity into the ring. To expand access to these scaffolds, we report Rh-catalyzed ring expansions of aziridines and N-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles to furnish dehydropiperazines with excellent diastereocontrol. Productive ring expansion proceeds via a pseudo-1,4-sigmatropic rearrangement of an aziridinium ylide species. However, the structural features of the carbene precursor are important, as pyridotriazoles undergo competing cheletropic extrusion to furnish ketimines.

Intermolecular [3+3] ring expansion of aziridines to dehydropiperi-dines through the intermediacy of aziridinium ylides.

The importance of N-heterocycles in drugs has stimulated diverse methods for their efficient syntheses. Methods that introduce significant stereochemical complexity are attractive for identifying new bioactive amine chemical space. Here, we report a [3 + 3] ring expansion of bicyclic aziridines and rhodium-bound vinyl carbenes to form complex dehydropiperidines in a highly stereocontrolled rearrangement. Mechanistic studies and DFT computations indicate that the reaction proceeds through formation of a vinyl aziridinium ylide; this reactive intermediate undergoes a pseudo-[1,4]-sigmatropic rearrangement to directly furnish heterocyclic products with net retention at the new C-C bond. In combination with asymmetric silver-catalyzed aziridination, enantioenriched scaffolds with up to three contiguous stereocenters are rapidly delivered. The mild reaction conditions, functional group tolerance, and high stereospecificity of this method are well-suited for appending piperidine motifs to natural product and complex molecules. Ultimately, our work establishes the value of underutilized aziridinium ylides as key intermediates for converting small, strained rings to larger N-heterocycles.