An enantioselective total synthesis of the apoptosis-inducing natural product, (-)-rasfonin, is described. Camphor lactam-mediated asymmetric alkylation reactions enabled the installation of three stereogenic centers with >95:5 diastereoselectivity. A modified Corey-Peterson olefination was employed in the construction of the (E,E)-diene system. A highly diastereoselective, asymmetric vinylogous Mukaiyama aldol addition was conducted using a chiral cationic oxazaborolidine catalyst. The pyranone core of the natural product was prepared via a DBU-promoted rearrangement of a furanol to its corresponding pyranol with concomitant [1,4]-silyl transfer.

A highly convergent, enantioselective total synthesis of the aglycone of the tetrocarcins, (+)-tetronolide, is described. The synthesis highlights the use of several new methods, including camphor auxiliary-directed asymmetric alkylation and the enantioselective preparation of acyclic mixed acetals bearing chirality at the acetal center, and the highly efficient connection of the two major precursors via a ketene-trapping/intramolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition strategy.

[reaction--see text] Enolates of a new camphor-derived lactam auxiliary are shown to monoalkylate with very high diastereoselectivity. A second alkylation occurs with reactive alkylating agents to afford quaternary centers also with high diastereoselectivity. In accord with a proposed model for diastereoselection, lithium and sodium enolates provide products with an opposite sense of asymmetric induction.

Palladium-catalyzed coupling of an aryl siloxane and an allylic carbonate proceeded in good yield to give an adduct that was converted to an analogue of (+/-)-7-deoxypancratistatin.

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