title: Enantioselective synthesis of (--)-gilbertine via a cationic cascade cyclization.
abstract: Described is the first enantioselective synthesis of (-)-gilbertine (2), a member of the uleine-type family, and the determination of the absolute configuration of this natural product is reported. The key step employs a cationic cascade reaction for a tetrahydropyrane and piperidine ring formation and the construction of the pentacyclic framework in one step. The synthetic strategy utilizes the Shibasaki reaction to build up the first stereogenic center. A formylation reaction of a 3-substituted cyclohexanone derivative was achieved, giving only the desired regioisomer. The Japp-Klingemann Fischer indole protocol was used successfully as a convergent synthetic approach for the construction of the desired tetrahydrocarbazole (20). Furthermore, an unexpected behavior of this 2,3-disubstituted cyclohexanone derivative during an epimerization process was investigated, resulting in different chemical behavior of the enantiomers and the racemate. The diastereomeric resolution was achieved via the cationic cascade reaction, demonstrating the versatility of this approach. Significantly, the synthetic 17-step sequence was easy to execute, giving (-)-gilbertine in 5.5% overall yield.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17 Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiricek
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blechert
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D030009:Aspidosperma / Q000737:chemistry; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D002412:Cations; D003500:Cyclization; D026121:Indole Alkaloids / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds; D002412:Cations; D026121:Indole Alkaloids; C428545:uleine