Stereochemical Control in Organic-Synthesis Using Silicon-Containing Compounds

Use of Lawesson's reagent in organic syntheses.

Total Synthesis of Marine Polycyclic Ethers

Originally reported in Liebigs Annalen in 1953 (then called Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie), the Wittig reaction has evolved to include the Horner–Wittig and Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reactions and several other variations. Today, these reactions constitute some of the most powerful processes for the construction of carbon–carbon bond frameworks, facilitating the chemical synthesis of myriads of organic molecules both in research laboratories and industrial settings. The Wittig and related reactions were proven particularly useful in the field of total synthesis, where they enabled the construction of highly complex structures and had a significant impact in shaping the art to its present state of sophistication. In this article the authors focus, after a brief introduction, on total syntheses from their own laboratories that employ such processes. These examples, together with the numerous others adorning the chemical literature, illustrate amply the importance of the Wittig and related reactions and point to their continuing prominence in organic synthesis.

The Wittig and Related Reactions in Natural Product Synthesis

Convergent strategies for syntheses of trans-fused polycyclic ethers.

The fust generation strategies toward the total synthesis of brevetoxin B (1) are presented and the syntheses of the key intermediates 3, 4, 5, 67, 83, and 94-98 required for the projected construction are described. The earliest and most convergent strategy required the application of the hydroxy epoxide cyclization and the intramolecular conjugate addition as key reactions for the construction of the fused tetrahydropyran ring systems (4) [ABC], (7) [FG], and (8) [UK]. The oxocene ring (H) was formed via a Wittig reaction followed by a hydroxy dithioketal cyclization to produce the hexacyclic fragment [FGHIJK] (6 5). The 12-membered dithionolactone 18 was envisioned as the precursor of the dioxepane system of the molecule via a projected bridging reaction, to construct simultaneously both oxepane rings. However, the dithionation of dilactone 17 proved unsuccessful. In a subsequently evolved strategy, a new photolytic approach toward the dioxepane region was developed, starting from the acyclic dithiono progenitor 20 (20 23). Application of this reaction to the brevetoxin B skeleton afforded the desired oxepene (96 97), which after deprotection produced oxepanone 98. A specifically designed reductive hydroxy ketone cyclization (98 99) was then employed in an attempt to close the remaining ring [E], but, again, without success. The novel rearrangement of hydroxy ketone 87 to the pentacyclic system 89 was observed in a less elaborate skeleton. The scope and generality of these silicon-induced reductive cyclizations are also described.

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M.E. Duggan

Papers

Total Synthesis of Brevetoxin B. 1. First Generation Strategies and New Approaches to Oxepane Systems