Terpene transformation

Several teachers expressed the opinion that they would like to see the numbering assigned to menthane (whether it is the historical numbering or a new numbering) retained for bicyclics and other terpene derivatives to simplify the following through a series of terpene transformation reactions. 

The primary interest in terpene metabohsm by microorganisms is due to the potential for the commercial production of specific terpenes via fermentation [99]. In many cases, microorganisms are used to accomplish specific terpene transformations that convert abundant low cost terpenes to high valne products. The literature abounds with references to this effort [100-103]. 

Strategy Problem 6 A labelled compound for biosynthetic studies. Mevaloitic acid (TM 418) is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of terpenes and steroids (Tedder, volume 4, p.217 ff). To study exactly what happens to each carbon atom during its transformation into, say, hmonene (418A), we need separate samples of mevalonic acid labelled with in each carbon atom in the molecule. This turns our normal strategy on its head since we must now look for one carbon discoimections. You can use reagents like Na CN, and... 

Cycloahphatics capable of tertiary carbocation formation are candidates for nucleophilic addition of nitriles. HCN in strong sulfuric acid transforms 1-methyl-1-cyclohexanol to 1-methyl-1-cyclohexylamine through the formamide (47). The terpenes pinene (14) [2437-95-8] and limonene [5989-27-5] (15) each undergo a double addition of HCN to provide, after hydrolysis, the cycloahphatic diamine 1,8-menthanediamine (16) (48). 

Sometimes, on account of the difiiculty in preparing the nitroso-chloride from a highly active o-pinene, it is necessary to examine the oxidation products before it is possible to come definitely to a conclusion as to the presence or absence of the hydrocarbon. Pinene yields numerous acids as the result of oxidising processes, so that the method of preparing the product to be examined must be rigidly adhei ed to if useful results are to be obtained. The terpene is transformed into pinonic acid, CjoHj Og, in the following manner A solution of 233... 

In this chapter we will examine how cells and enzymes are used in the transformation of lipids. The lipids are, of course, a very diverse and complex series of molecular entities including fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, glycolipids, aliphatic alcohols, waxes, terpenes and steroids. It is usual to teach about these molecules, in a biochemical context, in more or less the order given above, since this represents a logical sequence leading from simple molecules to the more complex. Here, however, we have adopted a different strategy. 

Some of the potential uses of the fats and oils found in plants have been reviewed and some uses of carbohydrate-based polymers briefly discussed. Plants contain a whole variety of other chemicals including amino acids, terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc. When the potential for these naturally occurring materials are combined with the secondary products that can be obtained by fermentation or other microbial processes or by traditional chemical transformations, the array of chemicals that can readily be created from renewable resources is huge. In this section a few of the more interesting examples are considered. 

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) and fluorescence spectroscopy can be integrated with chromatographic techniques especially in the study of ageing and degradation of terpenic materials. They can be used to study the transformation, depletion or formation of specific functional groups in the course of ageing. 

M. Lindmark Henriksson, D. Isaksson, T. Vanek, I. Valterova, H. E. Hogberg, K. Sjodin, Transformation of terpenes using a Picea abies suspension culture, J. Biotechnol., 107, 173 184 (2004). 

Cyclic dienes of the terpene family are also very interesting. The MS of the C10H16 compounds are discussed extensively in Budzikiewicz and coworkers.7. All of them transform... 

The reaction was applied to an acyclic system for the synthesis of furanoid terpenes (Scheme ll)51. The palladium-catalyzed intramolecular reaction of 47 afforded 48 which was transformed to the target molecule. The latter product was obtained as a 1 1 mixture of marmelo oxide A and B, which is the isomeric mixture found in nature. 

A closely related dicationic platinum complex has been shown to transform efficiently /3-citronellene into cis-thujane in a highly diastereoselective manner, which mimics terpene biosynthesis.362 Also, using platinum(n) catalysis, Widenhoefer has reported an intramolecular alkylation of indoles with unactivated olefins, which can be carried out in an enantioselective fashion (Scheme 99).363... 

At that time, as now, the enantiomers of many chiral amines were obtained as natural products or by synthesis from naturally occurring amines, a-amino acids and alkaloids, while others were only prepared by introduction of an amino group by appropriate reactions into substances from the chiral pool carbohydrates, hydroxy acids, terpenes and alkaloids. In this connection, a recent review10 outlines the preparation of chiral aziridines from enantiomerically pure starting materials from natural or synthetic sources and the use of these aziridines in stereoselective transformations. Another report11 gives the use of the enantiomers of the a-amino acid esters for the asymmetric synthesis of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds. 

Complex hydrides have been used rather frequently for the conjugate reduction of activated dienes92-95. Just and coworkers92 found that the reduction of a,ft-unsaturated ketene 5,5-acetals with lithium triethylborohydride provided mixtures of 1,4- and 1,6-reduction products which were transformed into enals by treatment with mercuric salts (equation 27). Likewise, tetrahydro-3//-naphthalen-2-ones can be reduced with L-Selectride to the 1,6-reduction products93 -95 this reaction has been utilized in the stereoselective synthesis of several terpenes, e.g. of (/ )-(—)-ligularenolide (equation 28)95. Other methods for the conjugate reduction of acceptor-substituted dienes involve the use of methylcopper/diisobutylaluminum hydride96 and of the Hantzsch ester... 

A quite detailed review of transannular cyclizations was published201 wherein their important role in biomimetic syntheses of sesquiterpenes as well as explanation of the biogenetic formation of the polycyclic natural compounds from their monocyclic precursors is discussed. The great significance of these transformations for the synthesis of natural products is also emphasized in a series of reviews which describe the cyclizations to form terpene derivatives, e.g., of the germacrane and humulene systems202-206. 

Whereas some species oxidize host terpenes more randomly, producing an array of rather unspecific volatiles with little information, others use highly selective enzyme systems for the production of unique olfactory signals. However, apart from transformations of monoterpene hydrocarbons of host trees, oxygenated monoterpenes may well be biosynthesized de novo by the beetles (see below). 

Wagner-Meerwein type rearrangements have also been widely reported in terpene chemistry [127, 128]. One well-known transformations involves the... 

A high variety of isoprenoids is also observed for fossil molecules (Fig. 11.1, pink ribbon, first to the left). This suggests that the first cnidarians at Cambrian times have extensively exploited what the terpene chemistry allows (Pietra 1995). Although overshadowed by diagenetic transformations, and not comprising volatiles for obvious reasons, Chart 16.1 is suggestive of the structure of these early isoprenoids. 

When the configuration at (at least) one chiral unit is known in a nonracemic product, then the relative configuration needs to be determined. This situation occurs in substrate-induced reactions with many classical examples in steroid, terpene, and carbohydrate chemistry, such as the reduction of a carbonyl group (diastereoface-differentiating reaction), the transformation —CH2------> —CHBr— by radical bromination (diastereotopos-differentiating reaction), or dif-... 

The isoprene pathway produces a diverse range of natural products such as terpenes and steroids. A number of complex biochemical transformations are involved, many of which have been proposed to involve short-lived carbocation intermediates. Two recent studies provide a brief introduction. 

---