Artificial intelligence and machine learning have demonstrated their potential role in predictive chemistry and synthetic planning of small molecules; there are at least a few reports of companies employing in silico synthetic planning into their overall approach to accessing target molecules. A data-driven synthesis planning program is one component being developed and evaluated by the Machine Learning for Pharmaceutical Discovery and Synthesis (MLPDS) consortium, comprising MIT and 13 chemical and pharmaceutical company members. Together, we wrote this perspective to share how we think predictive models can be integrated into medicinal chemistry synthesis workflows, how they are currently used within MLPDS member companies, and the outlook for this field.

[reaction: see text]Thallium(I) ethoxide promotes Suzuki cross couplings for a range of vinyl- and arylboronic acids with vinyl and aryl halide partners in good to excellent yields. This reagent offers distinct advantages over thallium(I) hydroxide in terms of commercial availability, stability, and ease of use.

The development of the vinylogous intramolecular Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction for the synthesis of functionalized cyclopentenes and cyclohexenes is described. The reaction involves the trialkyphosphine-catalyzed cyclization of 1,6- or 1,7-diactivated 1,5-hexadienes or 1,6-heptadienes, containing carboxyaldehyde, methyl ketone, or methoxycarbonyl as the olefin activating groups. A representative example of this reaction is the Me(3)P-catalyzed cyclization of 1a in tert-amyl alcohol, which provides the substituted cyclopentene 2a in 95% yield and with 97:3 regioselectivity.

A convergent, highly stereoselective total synthesis of (؊)-spinosyn A (1) is described. Key features of the synthesis include the transannular Diels-Alder reaction of macrocyclic pentaene 11 and the transannular Morita-Baylis-Hillman cyclization of 12 that generates tetracycle 26. The total synthesis of (؊)-spinosyn A was completed by a sequence involving the highly ␤-selective glycosidation reaction of 13 and glycosyl imidate 30.T he spinosyns are a family of polyketide natural products that possess extraordinary insecticidal activity. The biosynthetic mixture, generated by Saccharopolyspora spinosa, comprises mostly spinosyn A (1) (Scheme 1) (Ϸ85%) and spinosyn D (Ϸ10-15%) (1-8). This mixture is currently marketed for use as an insecticide against a variety of insects (6). Total syntheses of spinosyn A have been reported by Evans and Black (9) and Paquette et al. (10,11). Synthetic StrategyDiels-Alder reactions have been proposed as key steps in the biogenesis of several natural products, including lovastatin, solanapyrone, nargenicin, and ikarugamycin (12). Kirst et al. (3) suggested that the biosynthesis of spinosyn A may involve a transannular Diels-Alder (TDA) (13) reaction of a macrocyclic pentaene to form the C(4)OC(12) and C(7)OC (11) bonds (see 4 3 3; Scheme 1). Kirst also suggested that a transannular cyclization of a 1,3-dicarbonyl nucleophile may generate the C(3)OC (14) bond (3). Alternatively, we speculated that the C(3)OC(14) bond may be formed by a vinylogous Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction mediated by an enzymatic nucleophile (compare 3 3 1; Scheme 1). Based on these biosynthetic considerations, we sought to assemble spinosyn A (1) via a TDA and MBH cyclization sequence of an appropriately functionalized macrocyclic pentaene 4.Diastereoselectivity of the Diels-Alder Reaction. Paramount to the success of this synthetic strategy is the control of the diastereoselectivity of the TDA reaction (4 3 3). It is known from the work of Evans and Black (9) that the intrinsic diastereofacial selectivity of the intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) reaction of 5a favors the incorrect C(7)OC(11) trans-fused diastereomer 6a with 6:1 selectivity (Scheme 2). Although Evans and Black (9) addressed this issue by incorporating a chiral auxiliary (13) in the dienophile (see 5b 3 7b), we would not have recourse to this strategy for the TDA cyclization of 4. Thus, some means for controlling the stereochemistry at the C(7)OC(11) ring fusion relative to the C(9)Oalkoxy substituent in the Diels-Alder reaction was required.We initially hoped to use the steric directing-group strategy to control the diastereoselectivity of the Diels-Alder reaction (15-17), which could involve appending a bromine steric directing group at C(6) of the IMDA or TDA substrate to control the stereochemical outcome of the cycloaddition, leading to the desired C(7)OC(11) trans-fused diastereomer. It was anticipated that TS2, which leads to the undesired C(7)OC(11) trans-fused isomer 10 and is favored in the absence of the C(6)OBr steric direct...

The design, development, and scale up of a continuous iridium-catalyzed homogeneous high pressure reductive amination reaction to produce 6, the penultimate intermediate in Lilly’s CETP inhibitor evacetrapib, is described. The scope of this report involves initial batch chemistry screening at milligram scale through the development process leading to full-scale production in manufacturing under GMP conditions. Key aspects in this process include a description of drivers for developing a continuous process over existing well-defined batch approaches, manufacturing setup, and approaches toward key quality and regulatory questions such as batch definition, the use of process analytics, start up and shutdown waste, “in control” versus “at steady state”, lot genealogy and deviation boundaries, fluctuations, and diverting. The fully developed continuous reaction operated for 24 days during a primary stability campaign and produced over 2 MT of the penultimate intermediate in 95% yield after batch workup, crystallization, and isolation.

The design of a novel selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) for the potential treatment of uterine leiomyoma is described. 16 (LY2066948-HCl) binds with high affinity to estrogen receptors alpha and beta (ERalpha and ERbeta, respectively) and is a potent uterine antagonist with minimal effects on the ovaries as determined by serum biomarkers and histologic evaluation.

[reaction: see text] A concise synthesis of the spinosyn A tricyclic nucleus 27 has been developed by a route featuring a one-pot tandem intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction and intramolecular vinylogous Morita-Baylis-Hillman cyclization in which five stereocenters in tricycle 10 are set with excellent selectivity.

A highly diastereoselective and enantioselective synthesis of the decahydro-as-indacene nucleus 12 of (-)-spinosyn A (1) is reported. By implementing the steric directing group strategy, tricyclic lactone 37 was produced from a remarkably diastereoselective transannular Diels-Alder reaction of lactone 9. The tricyclic core of the natural product was then obtained by using an Ireland-Claisen ring contraction of 37. Reversal of the order of these two steps resulted in an almost complete loss of diastereoselectivity.