Enantioselective biomimetic total syntheses of kuwanons I and J and brosimones A and B

Abstract

The first enantioselective total syntheses of prenylflavonoid Diels-Alder natural products (-)-kuwanon I, (+)-kuwanon J, (-)-brosimone A, and (-)-brosimone B have been accomplished from a common intermediate based on a concise synthetic strategy. Key elements of the synthesis include a biosynthesis-inspired asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition mediated by a chiral ligand/boron Lewis acid, as well as a process involving regioselective Schenck ene reaction, reduction, and dehydration to realize a biomimetic dehydrogenation for generation of the required diene precursor. Furthermore, a remarkable tandem inter-/intramolecular asymmetric Diels-Alder cycloaddition process was applied for the synthesis of (-)-brosimone A.

Keywords: boron; cyclization; natural products; synthetic methods; total synthesis.