An oxidative photocyclization approach to the synthesis of Securiflustra securifrons alkaloids.

Securines and securamines are cytotoxic alkaloids that contain reactive alkene and heterocyclic residues embedded in skeletons comprising four to six oxidized rings. This structural complexity imparts a rich chemistry to the isolates but has impeded synthetic access to the structures in the nearly three decades since their isolation. We present a flexible route to eight isolates that exemplify the three skeletal classes of metabolites. The route proceeds by the modular assembly of the advanced azides 38 and 49 (13 steps, 6 to 10% yield), sequential oxidative photocyclizations, and late-stage functional group manipulations. With this approach, the targets were obtained in 17 to 19 steps, 12 to 13 purifications, and 0.5 to 3.5% overall yield. The structure of an advanced intermediate was elucidated by microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) analysis. The route will support structure-function and target identification studies of the securamines.

3-Aryl-2,5-Dihydropyrroles via Catalytic Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis.

Herein, we describe the development of a synthetic strategy towards chiral 3-pyrrolines based on the design principle of iron(III)-catalyzed carbonyl-olefin metathesis. This approach takes advantage of commercially available amino acids as chiral pool reagents and FeCl3 as a Lewis acid catalyst. Our strategy is characterized by its operational simplicity, mild reaction conditions and functional group tolerance. Investigations show that an electron-deficient nitrogen protecting group overcomes limitations arising from competitive binding of the Lewis acid catalyst to unfavorable Lewis basic sites, which ultimately enables catalytic turnover.

GaCl3-Catalyzed Ring-Opening Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis.

The development of a Lewis acid-catalyzed ring-opening cross-metathesis reaction which enables selective access to acyclic, unsaturated ketones as the carbonyl-olefin metathesis products is described. While catalytic amounts of FeCl3 were previously identified as optimal to catalyze ring-closing metathesis reactions, the complementary ring-opening metathesis between cyclic alkenes and carbonyl functionalities relies on GaCl3 as the superior Lewis acid catalyst.