A total synthesis of (-)-hemiasterlin using N-Bts methodology

A total synthesis of (-)-hemiasterlin has been accomplished in nine steps from 25(8) (>35% yield overall). An improved enantiocontrolled route to the tetramethyltryptophan subunit 32 was developed using an asymmetric Strecker synthesis (five steps, 50% yield from 25), and the dipeptide 22 was prepared in seven steps, 37% yield from valinol. The synthesis exploits the high reactivity of a Bts-protected amino acid chloride in the difficult peptide coupling of sterically hindered amino acid residues 18 and 20 to form 21 (70%, recrystallized) and also uses N-Bts intermediates for the high-yielding N-methylations of 14 and 31. In addition, the Bts-protected di-tert-butyl N-acylimidodicarbonate 33 is shown to undergo efficient coupling with 22 to form 34 (97% in the coupling step; 79% over the activation; coupling sequence from 32).