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Published on: July 6, 2019
Synthetic Modulation of an Unstable Dehydrosecodine-type Intermediate and Its Encapsulation into a Confined Cavity
Gavin Tay1, Toshiaki Wayama1, Hiroki Takezawa2
1Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, Chemistry West Building 4F, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
Abstract:
Numerous indole alkaloids such as the iboga- and aspidosperma-type are believed to be biosynthesized via a common hypothetical intermediate, dehydrosecodine. The highly reactive nature of dehydrosecodine-type compounds has hampered their isolation and structural elucidation. In this study, we achieved the first X-ray structural determination of a dehydrosecodine-type compound by integrating synthetic optimization of the reactivity and stabilizing the fragile molecule by encapsulation into a supramolecular host. Formation of a 1 : 1 complex of the dehydrosecodine-type labile guest bearing both vinyl indole and dihydropyridine units with the host was observed. This integrated approach not only provides insights into the biosynthetic conversions but also allows stabilization and storage of the reactive and otherwise short-lived intermediate within the confined hydrophobic cavity.
