13-Step Total Synthesis of Atropurpuran

J Am Chem Soc. 2019 Feb 27;141(8):3435-3439. doi: 10.1021/jacs.9b00391. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Abstract

Herein, we report a concise total synthesis of atropurpuran, a unique and synthetically challenging pentacyclic diterpene that bears a tetracyclo[5.3.3.04,9.04,12]-tridecane skeleton that is unprecedented among natural terpenes. This 13-step approach features a strategy that include early stage rapid skeleton formation and the late-stage introduction of reactive functional groups, thus allowed a high overall synthetic efficiency with minimal use of PGs. The key transformations of our work include a facile construction of the spiro[5.5]undecane moiety through an ring-closing enyne metathesis reaction and an efficient formation of the tetracyclo[5.3.3.04,9.04,12]-tridecane scaffold via an regioselective double oxidative dearomatization/intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction cascade. This efficient approach should also inspire further advances in the synthesis of related complex diterpenes and diterpenoid alkaloids.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't