Alkaloids pyrrolidine ring

The heteroatom version of the vinylcyclopropane rearrangement serves to facilitate alkaloid construction. Scheme 13 outlines a strategy for the pyrrolizidine alkaloid isoretronecanol 211 90). Use of a carboxaldehyde (i.e. 213) as a synthon for the primary alcohol provides an ability to adjust stereochemistry. It also sets up formation of the pyrrolidine ring bearing the aldehyde by an aldol-type condensation of an enol of the aldehyde onto an imine derived from 214. Because of the lability of such systems, introduction of X=PhS imparts stability. The resultant azacyclopentene translates to an imine 215 using the iminocyclopropane rearrangement methodology. Simple condensation of the primary amine 216 with aldehyde 37a then initiates this... 

The pyrrolidine ring is part of numerous natural products, and we have restricted the field to those alkaloids that contain an isolated pyrrolidine ring. We have thus excluded the so-called Sceletium (mesembrine) and Dendrobium (den-drobine) alkaloids, which have also been reviewed (3-5). The pyrrolidine ring is frequently encountered in proline residues of cyclopeptide alkaloids these have been reviewed already (7) and will not be discussed here. 

Finally, the report by Angenot et al. of an exceptional increase of antimitotic activity in strychnopentamine (104) caused by the presence of a supplementary pyrrolidine ring, is worth noting (199). Chemists might use this fact as an reason to promote interesting new syntheses of pyrrolidine alkaloids or creation of unnatural molecules containing pyrrolidine. 

Among the many natural products that may be considered in this category are the alkaloids 6-hydroxycrinamine (26a) and haemanthidine (26b), which are epimeric in the solid. It is found (71) that in solid 26a the hydroxyl attached to C-6 is trans to the pyrrolidine ring, whereas for both compounds, there is NMR evidence for epimerization at C-6 in solution (72). 

Nicotine Nicotine, l-methyl-2-(3-piridyl)pirrolidine (13.1.27), is an alkaloid that is isolated from the plant Nicotiana (Nicotiana tabacum, Nicotiam rustica, and others) and can be synthesized in varions ways [33-36]. In particular, it is proposed to proceed from nicotinic acid ethyl ester, which is condensed with iV-methylpyrrolidone, giving l-methyl-2-nicotinoyl pyrrolidone-2 (13.1.23). Acidic hydrolysis of this compound leads to an opening of the pyrrolidine ring giving the intermediate (13.1.24), which under the reaction conditions is decarboxylated to the /-aminoketone (13.1.25). The carbonyl group is reduced to an alcohol and the resnlting prodnct (13.1.26) undergoes dehydration to nicotine (13.1.27). 

The term chromone alkaloid is used to describe a structure consisting of a pyridine, piperidine, or pyrrolidine ring linked to the A ring of chromone (1). In... 

A later one-step synthesis was designed as a biomimetic process (18). The N-methyl pyrrolidine ring in alkaloids such as nicotine is derived from ornithine via... 

These alkaloids contain pyrrole or modified pyrrole, e.g. pyrrolidine, ring system. The simplest example of this class is nicotine. A pyrrolidine ring is the central structure of the amino acids proline and hydroxyproline. These alkaloids are also found in many drug preparations, e.g. procyclidine hydrochloride, which is an antichohnergic drug mainly used for the treatment of drug-induced Parkinsonism, akathisia and acute dystonia. 

The tobacco alkaloids, especially nicotine, are derived from nicotinic acid (see page 311) but also contain a pyrrolidine ring system derived from ornithine as a portion of their structure. 

The alkaloids of this group are derived from a combination of a piperidine and a pyrrolidine ring, designated as tropane (Figure 14.2). The 3-hydroxy derivative of tropane is known as tropine and is the basic component of atropine. When atropine is hydrolyzed, it forms tropine and tropic acid (a-phenyl-p-hydroxy-propionic acid). Atropine is the tropic acid ester of tropine. It has been prepared synthetically. Tropic acid contains an asymmetric carbon atom. The racemic compound (atropine) as obtained naturally or as synthesized may be resolved into its optically active components, d- and /-hyoscyamine. Atropine is racemic hyoscyamine that is, it consists of equal parts of /-hyscyamine and plant cells and also in the process of extraction, so that the relative proportion of the isomers in the plants and in the preparations varies. However, atropine itself does exist in small amounts in the plants, although most of it is formed from the /-hyoscyamine in the process of extraction. 

Brevicolline.—The /3-carboline part of the plant alkaloid brevicolline (114) has been shown to derive from tryptophan (94) and pyruvic acid.37 Putrescine (4) and related compounds provide the pyrrolidine ring.38 A key intermediate in brevicolline biosynthesis is likely to be (113), derived by oxidative decarboxylation of (111), which in turn is formed through the condensation of (94) with pyruvic acid condensation of (113) and (112) (formed from putrescine) would lead to (114). This has been supported by successfully mimicking the biogenetic sequence, starting with the chemical oxidative decarboxylation of (111).39... 

The coca-alkaloids, like cocaine, atropine, etc., contain perhaps a combination of a piperidine ring with a pyrrolidine ring. 

Pyrrolidine is the simple five-membered cyclic amine and pyrrolidine alkaloids contain this ring somewhere in their structure. Both nicotine and atropine contain a pyrrolidine ring as do hygrine and tropinone. All are made in nature from ornithine. Ornithine is an amino acid not usually found in proteins but most organisms use it, often in the excretion of toxic substances. If birds are fed benzoic acid (PI1CO2H) they excrete dibenzoyl ornithine. When dead animals decay, the decarboxylation of ornithine leads to putrescine which, as its name suggest, smells revolting. It is the smell of death . 

The stemona alkaloid stemonamide (49) was synthesized starting from a-stannyl acetate 47 and 2-stannyl pyrrolidine 48. The oxidative coupling of stannyl acetate 47 with acetylenic silyl enol ether affords the functionalized C-7 unit which corresponds to the side arm of the pyrrolidine ring. Then, introduction of the C-7 unit to the pyrrolidine ring is performed by the oxidative generation of acyliminium ion. The carbon skeleton of stemonamide was thus constructed efficiently as shown in Scheme 19 by employing organotin compounds. ... 

The monocyclic 2,6-disubstituted piperidines have been considered as possible precursors for dendrobatid alkaloids containing piperidine rings, such as the histrionicotoxins, decahydroquinolines, and gephyrotoxins (see Ref. J). Similarly, the monocyclic 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines have been considered as possible precursors for dendrobatid alkaloids containing pyrrolidine rings, such as the pumiliotoxins, the indolizidines, and now the pyrrolizidines (see Ref. 5). It should be noted that 2,6-disubstituted piperidines and 2,5-disubstituted pyrrolidines occur only rarely in dendrobatid frogs, while in ants they appear as major venom constituents, along with pyrrolizidines and indolizidines. It has been proposed that the monocyclic piperidines and pyrrolidines may serve as biosynthetic precursors of the bicyclic alkaloids in ants 125,134). 

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