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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Efficient Construction of Drug-like Bispirocyclic Scaffolds Via Organocatalytic Cycloadditions of α-Imino γ-Lactones and Alkylidene Pyrazolones
Published on: February 7, 2019
Asymmetric total synthesis of sperabillins B and D via lithium amide conjugate addition
Stephen G Davies1, Jane R Haggitt, Osamu Ichihara
1Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Chemistry Research Laboratory, Mansfield Road, Oxford, UK OX1 3TA. steve.davies@chemistry.ox.ac.uk
Abstract:
Diastereoselective conjugate addition of homochiral lithium (R)-N-allyl-N-alpha-methylbenzylamide to methyl (2E,5E)-hepatadienoate, followed by protecting group manipulation and subsequent iodocyclocarbamation allows a concise route to the core fragment, methyl (3R,5R,6R)-3,6-diamino-5-hydroxyheptanoate, of sperabillins B and D. Differentiation between the C-3 and C-6 primary amino groups of this core amino acid was readily achieved by treatment with acetone, giving the 5,6-isopropylidene and C-3-imine protected diamine, with subsequent regioselective acylation of the C-6-nitrogen facilitating the total synthesis of sperabillin D in 10.8% overall yield, and the first asymmetric synthesis of sperabillin B in 5.8% overall yield.
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