Synthesis of (-)-oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) starting from cis-2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)aziridine.

Oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) has been synthesized from cis-2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)aziridine. After protection of the cis-2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)aziridine with a Boc group, desymmetrization provided a chiral aziridine, which was a key intermediate to install the required stereogenic center containing a nitrogen atom. Allylation and ring closing metathesis are the key reactions to obtain the cyclic product that was successfully converted to the desired oseltamivir phosphate.

Total synthesis of pikromycin.

The total synthesis of pikromycin (6), the first isolated macrolide antibiotic, was achieved. The target macrolide was retrosynthetically divided into two parts, pikronolide (6a) (aglycon) and D-desosamine. The aglycon was synthesized using key reactions such as an asymmetric aldol reaction, Yamaguchi esterification, and ring-closing metathesis. The aglycon was coupled successfully with the trichloroacetimidate derivative of D-desosamine under Lewis acidic conditions to afford pikromycin. Narbomycin (5) was also synthesized from narbonolide (5a) under identical conditions.

Total synthesis of methymycin.

Methynolide and 10-epi-methynolide were synthesized from the necessary segments, which were prepared by the addition of Grignard reagents to the corresponding alpha-alkoxyketones utilizing 1,2-stereochemical selection based on Cram chelation control. Ring-closing metathesis, as the key reaction, was carried out to combine the segments for the synthesis of methynolide and 10-epi-methynolide. The total synthesis of methymycin was also achieved by the glycosylation of methynolide with the trichloroimidate derivative of D-desosamine.

Exploiting the natural metabolic diversity of Streptomyces venezuelae to generate unusual reduced macrolides.

An unusual set of reduced macrolide antibiotics was discovered by combination of organic synthesis and a biosynthetic approach using the unique metabolic diversity of Streptomyces venezuelae; two unnatural 16-membered ring macrolides are also created by employing this bio-catalyst.

Total synthesis of 10-deoxymethynolide and narbonolide.

A flexible and convenient approach was developed for the synthesis of 10-deoxymethynolide (1) and narbonolide (2), which are aglycones of the methymycin and the pikromycin families of macrolide antibiotics. These lactones are produced by pikromycin polyketide synthase from Streptomyces venezuelae. Polyketide lactones, 10-deoxymethynolide and narbonolide, which contain 12- and 14-membered rings, respectively, were synthesized efficiently. These target lactones were retrosynthetically divided into three parts and assembled by using an asymmetric aldol reaction, the Yamaguchi esterification, and ring-closing metathesis. The ring-closing metathesis reaction catalyzed by the second-generation Grubbs catalyst is particularly efficient in preparing these macrocyclic polyketide lactones.