Transannular dipolar cycloaddition as an approach towards the synthesis of the core ring system of the sarain alkaloids.

Intramolecular transannular dipolar cycloaddition was investigated as a key step in a synthetic approach to the core of the sarain alkaloids; although the use of an azomethine ylide was unsuccessful with the chosen aldehyde substrate, cycloaddition with a nitrone did give the alternative regioisomeric bridged cycloadduct.

Synthesis and palladium-catalysed isomerisation of fused polycyclic tetrahydrofurans: efficient and stereoselective one-pot domino construction of functionalised bridged bicyclo[n.2.1] ring systems.

A new one-pot domino reaction for a general entry to functionalised bridged bicyclo[n.2.1] ring systems from alpha, alpha'-diactivated cyclic ketones and trans-1,4-dihalides is described. The sequence combines a base promoted C-O cycloalkylation reaction leading to fused polycyclic enol ethers and their in situ palladium-catalysed isomerisation.

Synthesis of carboxylic amides by ring-opening of oxazolidinones with Grignard reagents.

Treatment of N-alkyl-oxazolidin-2-ones with Grignard reagents gives tertiary carboxylic amide products. Various substituted oxazolidinones can be used as illustrated with phenyl, benzyl or isopropyl groups on the 4-position, and methyl, benzyl or p-methoxybenzyl groups on the 3-position (the nitrogen atom). A selection of Grignard reagents were successful, including allyl, benzyl, alkyl and phenyl magnesium halides. The organomagnesium species attacks the carbonyl group and promotes ring-opening of the oxazolidinone. The product tertiary amides are useful substrates for stereoselective transformations and were applied to a highly selective enolate alkylation and to a ring-closing metathesis reaction to a six-membered lactam and hence a formal synthesis of the alkaloids (-)-coniine and (+)-stenusine.

The MARDi cascade: a Michael-initiated domino-multicomponent approach for the stereoselective synthesis of seven-membered rings.

The MARDi cascade is a recently invented three-component Michael-initiated condensation involving 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives. It allows regio- and stereocontrolled access to a variety of functionalised and substituted seven-membered rings. The substitution array can be diastereoselectively modulated by appropriate choice of the reaction partners, and the reaction allows the control of up to five newly created stereocentres and a complete chiral induction in the case of an optically active ketone precursor. The high level of diastereoselectivity observed has been attributed to total thermodynamic control of the reaction. The attractiveness of the present domino three-component approach to seven-membered rings resides in the diversity of carbo- and heterocyclic structures that can be accessed with total regiocontrol and high stereocontrol by starting from simple substrates, under user and environmentally friendly conditions, as now required in modern organic chemistry.

New access to indolizidine and pyrrolizidine alkaloids from an enantiopure proline: total syntheses of (-)-lentiginosine and (1R,2R,7aR)-dihydroxypyrrolizidine.

A new approach to the synthesis of indolizidine and pyrrolizidine skeletons is reported. (-)-Lentiginosine and (1R,2R,7aR)-dihydroxypyrrolizidine have both been synthesized in 13 steps from di-O-isopropylidene-d-mannitol. The common key intermediate is (-)-dihydroxyproline benzyl ester 10.

Synthetic studies on the MARDi cascade: stereoselective synthesis of heterocyclic seven-membered rings.

[reaction: see text] A versatile stereoselective synthesis of substituted and functionalized heterocyclic seven-membered rings is described. The approach involves a formal two-carbon ring expansion of heterocyclic cyclopentanones through a base-induced anionic domino three-component transformation named the MARDi cascade leading either to oxa-, aza-, or thiacycloheptanes bearing up to five contiguous stereogenic centers.