Cascade Polyene Cyclizations

The chemical simulation of this biosynthetic process has been developed as an important methodology in organic synthesis. Van Tamelen reported the add-catalyzed cyclization of chiral terminal epoxides of polyprenoids [11]. In contrast, Johnson adopted the acid-catalyzed cyclization of poly-prenic acetals derived from chiral diols [12]. In addition to these pioneering studies, the biomimetic polyene cycliza-tions of polyprenoids, which are induced by a variety of electrophiles such as proton, oxonium ion, halonium ion [13], or metal ion [14], have also been developed. Despite extensive studies on these diastereoselective olefin cyclizations, enantioselective processes using synthetic chiral catalysts had not been developed for a long time. In 1999, Yamamoto s 

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Zhang, J., and Xu, X., Total synthesis of 6-ep/-sarsolilide A, Tetrahedron Lett., 41, 941, 2000. Boehm, H.M.. I landa, S., Pattenden, G., Roberts. L.. Blake, A.J., and Li, W.-S., Cascade radical cyclizations leading lo steroid ring constructions. Regio- and stereo-chemical studies using ester- and fluoroalkene substituted polyene acyl radical intermediates.,/. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 3522, 2000. Hampton, A.. Sasaki, T, and Paul, B., Synthesis of 6 -cyano-6 -deoxyhomoadenosine-6 -phosphonic acid and its phosphoryl and pyrophosphoryl anhydrides and studies of their interactions with adenine nucleotide utilizing enzymes, J. Am. Chem. Soc.. 95. 4404, 1973. 

Scheme 12.22 Polyene cyclization and Mizoroki-Heck-hydride capture cascade reactions.

For nongroup-selective examples, one of the first reports of an enantioselective intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck reaction was a polyene cyclization (Scheme 12.22) [23b], The trienyl triflate 5 underwent two intramolecular cyclization reactions to give the tricycle 6 in high yield and 45% ee. A cascade intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck-hydride capture sequence was used in the synthesis of retinoid derivatives from aryl iodide 100 to give benzofuran 101 in 80-81% ee [49]. Poor enantioselectivity was observed when neutral reaction conditions were employed. 

In 2007, Gagne s group succeeded in a regio- and diastereoselective oxidative polycyclization of di- and trienols catalyzed achiral [(dppe)Pt] dications, wherein turnover was achieved by the trityl cation abstracting a hydride from a putative [(dppe)Pt-H] intermediate [32i]. One year later, Gagne s group developed the catalytic enantioselective polyene cyclization induced by [(S)-(xylyl-PHANEPHOS) Pt][(BF )j] catalyst, which was prepared from (S)-(xylyl-PHANEPHOS)PtIj and AgBF in situ (Scheme 9.21) [32j]. This asymmetric catalysis enables the oxidative cascade cyclization of polyalkene substrates [32k] (Scheme 9.15). 

Harring, S. R. Livinghouse, T. Polyene cascade cyclizations mediated by BF3CH3N02. An unusual efficient method for the direct, stereospecific synthesis of polycyclic... 

In turn, the propensity of 1 to respond to steric hindrance can be used to control the site of initiation of an RCM reaction in a polyene substrate (Scheme 9) [20]. Thus, dienyne 25 reacts with the catalyst regioselectively at the least substituted site the evolving ruthenium carbene 26 undergoes a subsequent enyne metathesis leading to a new carbene 27, which is finally trapped by the disubsti-tuted olefin to afford the bicyclo[4.4.0]decadiene product 28. By simply reversing the substitution pattern of the double bonds, the complementary bicyclo [5.3.0] compound 32 is formed exclusively, because the cyclization cascade is then triggered at the other end of the substrate. Note that in both examples tri-substituted olefins are obtained by means of a ruthenium based metathesis catalyst [20] ... 

The Shi epoxidation has found several applications in total synthesis [15]. Particularly attractive are examples in which it has been used to establish the stereochemistry of polyepoxides which can undergo cascade cyclizations to polyether products, mimicking possible biosynthetic pathways. An example is the construction of the tetahydrofuran rings of the natural product glabrescol via highly stereoselective formation of the tetraepoxide 10 from the polyene 9 (Scheme 12.6) [22]. 

Preparation of an oestrone analogue has been made by treatment of a polyene iodide with (TMS)3SiH via a radical cascade involving a 13-endo macrocyclization followed by successive opening of a cyclopropane ring and a 6-exo/5-exo transannular cyclization (equation 52)104. 

In addition to cationic cyclizations, other conditions for the cyclization of polyenes and of ene-ynes to steroids have been investigated. Oxidative free-radical cyclizations of polyenes produce steroid nuclei with exquisite stereocontrol. For example, treatment of (259) and (260) with Mn(III) and Cu(II) afford the D-homo-5a-androstane-3-ones (261) and (262), respectively, in approximately 30% yield. In this cyclization, seven asymmetric centers are established in one chemical step (226,227). Another intramolecular cyclization reaction of iodo-ene poly-ynes was reported using a carbopaUadation cascade terminated by carbonylation. This carbometalation—carbonylation cascade using CO at 111 kPa (1.1 atm) at 70°C converted an acycHc iodo—tetra-yne (263) to a D-homo-steroid nucleus (264) [162878-44-6] in approximately 80% yield in one chemical step (228). Intramolecular aimulations between two alkynes and a chromium or tungsten carbene complex have been examined for the formation of a variety of different fiised-ring systems. A tandem Diels-Alder—two-alkyne annulation of a triynylcarbene complex demonstrated the feasibiHty of this strategy for the synthesis of steroid nuclei. Complex (265) was prepared in two steps from commercially available materials. Treatment of (265) with Danishefsky s diene in CH CN at room temperature under an atmosphere of carbon monoxide (101.3 kPa = 1 atm), followed by heating the reaction mixture to 110°C, provided (266) in 62% yield (TBS = tert — butyldimethylsilyl). In a second experiment, a sequential Diels-Alder—two-alkyne annulation of triynylcarbene complex (267) afforded a nonaromatic steroid nucleus (269) in approximately 50% overall yield from the acycHc precursors (229). 

The cascade is initiated by a conrotatory 8w-electron ring closure of the polyene carboxylic acids 20, 21 to the isomeric cyclo-octatrienes 22 and 23, respectively, which subsequently undergo a disrotatory 6 r-elec-tron cyclization to 24 and 25, respectively. Termination of the cascade by an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction yields either the tetracyclic endiandric acid 26a, b or the bridged derivative 27. 

There are many synthetic examples that use radical cyclization as a key step, and the radical precursor is not limited to iodides or bromides. In Pattenden s synthesis of pentalenene, conjugated selenyl ester 156 was treated with Bu3SnH and AIBN to give a 45% yield of tricyclic ketone 159. Loss of PhSe generated the acyl radical 157, which exists in equilibrium with the ketene radical 156. Radical cyclization via the latter intermediate leads to 159. Cyclization via aryl radicals is also possible. In Schultz s synthesis of hexahydro-phenanthren-2-one derivatives, " aryl bromide 160 was cyclized to 161 in 78% yield under standard conditions. Radical cascade reactions have become quite popular for the synthesis of polycyclic ring systems. In these reaction, polyenes are subjected to radical cyclization, generating tricyclic or even tetracyclic ring systems. 5 Chiral auxiliaries have been used effectively in radical cyclization reactions. ... 

A series of carbocyclization cascades of allyl ketenimines initiated through a thermal aza-Claisen rearrangement of A-phosphoryl-A-allyl ynamides has been reported where interceptions of the cationic intermediate via Meerwein-Wagner rearrangements and polyene-type cyclizations are observed (Scheme 17) ... 

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