Macrolactone synthesis

Macrolactone synthesis 6,51, 71, 72, 94, 124,131,163,187,195 McMurry coupling 43 Medium ring synthesis 43,45,75, 77 Metathesis, Alkene (see Grubbs) Metathesis, Alkyne (see alkyne metathesis) Michael addition Intramolecular 166,166, 167,201 Intermolecular 57,84, 153, 166,204... 

FIGURE 3.3. Macrolactone synthesis with high atom-efficiency (AE). 

The first total synthesis of erythronolide B (1) by Corey stands as an event of great historical significance in synthetic chemistry it provides a powerful illustration of the utility of Corey s methods of macrolactonization and it demonstrates, in a particularly insightful way, the value of using readily accessible six-membered ring templates for the assembly of contiguous arrays of stereo-genic centers. 

In a more recent and improved approach to cyclopropa-radicicol (228) [ 110], also outlined in Scheme 48, the synthesis was achieved via ynolide 231 which was transformed to the stable cobalt complex 232. RCM of 232 mediated by catalyst C led to cyclization product 233 as a 2 1 mixture of isomers in 57% yield. Oxidative removal of cobalt from this mixture followed by cycloaddition of the resulting cycloalkyne 234 with the cyclic diene 235 led to the benzofused macrolactone 236, which was converted to cyclopropa-radicicol (228). 

Using FmA catalysis and protected 4-hydroxybutanal, compound (97) has been stereoselectively prepared as a synthetic equivalent to the C-3-C-9 fragment of (-F)-aspicillin, a lichen macrolactone (Figure 10.35) [160]. Similarly, FruA mediated stereoselective addition of (25) to a suitably crafted aldehyde precursor (98) served as the key step in the synthesis of the noncarbohydrate , skipped polyol C-9-C-16 chain fragment (99) of the macrolide antibiotic pentamycin [161,162]. 

Figure 10.35 Stereoselective generation of chiral precursors for the synthesis of the lichen macrolactone (+)-aspicillin and the macrolide antibiotic pentamycin using FruA catalysis.

This synthesis is shown in Scheme 13.59. Two enantiomerically pure starting materials were brought together by a Wittig reaction in Step C. The aldol addition in Step D was diastereoselective for the anti configuration, but gave a 1 1 mixture with the 6S, 1R-diastereomer. The stereoisomers were separated after Step E-2. The macrolactonization (Step E-4) was accomplished by a mixed anhydride (see Section 3.4.1). The final epoxidation was done using 3-methyl-3-trifluoromethyl dioxirane. 

A Mitsunobu process simultaneously coupled the enyne acid fragment 4 to /J-lactam 10 and inverted the CIO stereochemistry to the required (S)-configured ester 11 in 93% yield. A deprotection provided alcohol 12, the key /J-lactam-based macrolactonization substrate, which, under conditions similar to those reported by Palomo for intermolecular alcoholysis of /J-lactams (Ojima et al, 1992, 1993 Palomo et al, 1995), provided the desired core macrocycle 13 of PatA 13 (Hesse, 1991 Manhas et al, 1988 Wasserman, 1987). Subsequent Lindlar hydrogenation gave the required E, Z-dienoate. A Stille reaction and final deprotection cleanly provided (-)-PatA that was identical in all respects to the natural product (Romo etal, 1998 Rzasaef al, 1998). This first total synthesis confirmed the relative and absolute configuration of the natural product and paved the way for synthesis of derivatives for probing the mode of action of this natural product. 

The synthesis of the disaccharide subunit 85 of tricolorin A, a cytotoxic resin glycoside isolated from lpomoea tricolor, provides a unique opportunity to compare the efficiency of an RCM-based macro cyclization reaction with that of a more conventional macrolactonization strategy. Furthermore, this specific target molecule challenges the compatibility of the catalysts with various functional groups. 

Prior to the synthesis of the epothilones, the use of RCM for the preparation of macrolactones had received little attention [5]. In part, this could be attributed to the generally held assumption that only conformational biased precursors would undergo cyclization. Although several examples of macro-RCM had been reported, notably by Pandit [9],Hoveyda [10] andFurstner [11], preparation of the densely functionalized 16-membered lactone core of the epothilones was not a trivial undertaking. Preliminary studies focused on the preparation and cyclization of model substrates in order to assess the viability of the RCM approach and to provide precedent for subsequent, more ambitious, synthetic endeavors. 

Nicolaou et al. were the first to report the successful use of RCM to prepare the 16-membered macrolactone nucleus of the epothilones and present a strategy for their total synthesis based on this reaction. The approach involved formation of the C12,C13 olefin and is outlined in Scheme 2 [12,13]. 

The resin-bound trienes 83 (Scheme 11) were prepared in a similar fashion to the solution-phase studies (Sect. 2.2.2) and underwent tandem RCM resin-cleavage to liberate four macrolactones 84a,b and 85a,b in a combined yield of 52%. Although, as expected, a large amount of initiator 3 was required to effect this transformation, the procedure constituted a novel and efficient route to the epothilones which paved the way for the generation of a library of epothilone analogs. The library synthesis was achieved using the recently developed SMAR-I9 microreactors (SMART=single or multiple addressable radiofrequency tag) [25] (Scheme 12). 

Scheme 16 Synthesis of both enantiomers of 15-hexadecanolide from a single precursor via judicious choice of macrolactonization conditions...

An application of this variation was put forward in the total synthesis of oc-talactin (Scheme 14). In retrosynthetic disconnection the macrolactone sim-... 

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