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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

A Direct, Early Stage Guanidinylation Protocol for the Synthesis of Complex Aminoguanidine-containing Natural Products
Published on: September 9, 2016
Cyanthiwigin Natural Product Core as a Complex Molecular Scaffold for Comparative Late-Stage C-H Functionalization
Kelly E Kim1, Ashley M Adams2, Nicholas D Chiappini2
1Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , California 91125 , United States.
Abstract:
The desire for maximally efficient transformations in complex molecule synthesis has contributed to a surge of interest in C-H functionalization methods development in recent years. In contrast to the steady stream of methodological reports, however, there are noticeably fewer studies comparing the efficacies of different C-H functionalization protocols on a single structurally intricate substrate. Recognizing the importance of heteroatom incorporation in complex molecule synthesis, this report discloses a comparative examination of diverse strategies for C-O, C-N, and C-X bond formation through late-stage C-H oxidation of the tricyclic cyanthiwigin natural product core. Methods for allylic C-H acetoxylation, tertiary C-H hydroxylation, tertiary C-H amination, tertiary C-H azidation, and secondary C-H halogenation are explored. These efforts highlight the robustness and selectivities of many well-established protocols for C-H oxidation when applied to a complex molecular framework, and the findings are relevant to chemists aiming to employ such strategies in the context of chemical synthesis.
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