Cyclobutane rings are important in medicinal chemistry, yet few enantioselective methods exist to access this scaffold. In particular, cyclobutylboronates are receiving increasing attention in the literature due to the synthetic versatility of alkylboronic esters and the increasing role of boronic acids in drug discovery. Herein, a conjugate borylation of α‐alkyl,β‐aryl/alkyl cyclobutenones is reported leading to the first synthesis of enantioenriched tertiary cyclobutylboronates. Cyclobutanones with two stereogenic centers are obtained in good to high yield, with high enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity. Vital to this advance are the development of a novel approach to α,β unsymmetrically disubstituted cyclobutenone substrates and the use of a high‐throughput chiral ligand screening platform. The synthetic utility of both the boronic ester and ketone functionalities is displayed, with remarkable chemoselectivity for either group being possible in this small ring scaffold.

The jadomycins are a family of secondary metabolites produced by S. venezuelae ISP5230. Specific jadomycins have been shown to possess a variety of anticancer, antifungal, and antibacterial properties, with different molecular mechanisms of action. Herein we demonstrate qualitative and quantitative direct binding between the validated anticancer target human topoisomerase IIβ and jadomycin DS using WaterLOGSY NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, we report for the first time, that jadomycin DS also binds a variety of other proteins, likely in a non-specific manner. Such interactions may rationalize the potential polypharmacology of jadomycin DS.

Chiral cyclobutanes are components of numerous bioactive natural products, and consequently, they have also gained significant attention in medicinal chemistry. Optically enriched cyclobutylboronates can serve as valuable synthetic intermediates for the synthesis of a broad variety of chiral cyclobutanes through exploiting the versatility of the boronyl functionality. Herein, by using a high-throughput ligand screening approach, an efficient method for the asymmetric conjugate borylation of a cyclobutene 1-carboxyester was optimized, leading to a highly enantioenriched cis-β-boronyl cyclobutylcarboxyester scaffold (99% ee, >20:1 dr). Of the 118 ligands screened, the Naud family of phosphine–oxazoline ligands was found to be the most effective. Computational modeling of the possible preinsertion complexes shows a large preference for the π-bound Cu­(I)–alkene complex where the substrate’s large benzhydryl ester occupies a relatively unhindered quadrant of the chiral ligand in a spatially tight environment that is highly specific for the cyclobutenoate substrate and imparts much lower selectivity with larger ring substrates. The cis diastereoselectivity is proposed to arise from a sterically controlled, irreversible protodecupration step. A highly diastereoselective nickel/photoredox dual-catalyzed Csp3–Csp2 cross-coupling of the corresponding trifluoroborate salt with aryl/heteroaryl bromides and cycloalkenyl nonaflates was developed, providing access to a wide diversity of trans-β-aryl/heteroaryl and cycloalkenyl cyclobutylcarboxyesters with an excellent diastereoselectivity and high retention of optical purity (91–99% ee, >20:1 dr). Azaheterocyclic halides, which are notoriously challenging substrates in Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling, are successful with this Ni/photoredox manifold. A stereoconvergent model based on steric factors is proposed for the key carbon–carbon bond forming step, leading to a high diastereoselectivity. Despite the radical nature of the cross-coupling conditions, the flanking carboxyester proved to be a reliable chirality relay group to maintain the stereochemical integrity of the organoboron intermediate. Furthermore, mild oxidation of the carbon–boron bond and extension of the catalytic asymmetric conjugate borylation reaction to a three-component aldol reaction with an aldehyde afford valuable enantioenriched cyclobutane products.

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Experiments were conducted to compare energy utilization, growth and tissue composition of chicks fed diets containing 10 or 20 parts of either high erucic acid rapeseed oir 24 days. Results showed that chicks fed diets containing 10 or 20 parts LER grew at the same rate, utilized energy just as efficiently, had similar heart to body weight ratios and levels of heart lipids equal to or less than chicks fed comparable diets containing SFO. The substitution of 10 or 20 parts HER for an equienergetic amount of SFO depressed gorwth, feed consumption and carcass fat deposition but had no effect on level of cardiac lipid or relative heart size when fed from 4 to 11 days of age. When fed from 4 to 25 days of age, chicks fed 20 parts HER grew slower, consumed less feed, and when pairfed, deposited less carcass fat, utilized energy less efficiently, had increased heart to body weight ratios but a lower level of cardiac lipid than chicks fed comparable diets containing SFO. Irrespective of the type of rapeseed oil or of the age of the chick, heart lipids contained less erucic acid than carcass fat, indicating that chick heart is as capable of disposing of erucic acid as carcass tissue. It was also found that irrespective of the diet fed, a greater percentage of erucic acid appeared to be oxidized than of eicosenoic acid.