Chiral total syntheses
of all six insecticidal natural pyrethrins
(three pyrethrin I and three pyrethrin II compounds) contained in
the chrysanthemum (pyrethrum) flower were performed. Three common
alcohol components [(S)-cinerolone, (S)-jasmololone, and (S)-pyrethrolone] were synthesized:
(i) straightforward Sonogashira-type cross-couplings using available
(S)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-(2-propynyl)cyclopent-2-en-1-ones
(the prallethrin alcohol) for (S)-cinerolone (overall
52% yield, 98% ee) and (S)-pyrethrolone (overall
54% yield, 98% ee) and (ii) traditional decarboxylative-aldol condensation
and lipase-catalyzed optical resolution for (S)-jasmololone
(overall 16% yield, 96% ee). Two counter acid segments [(1R,3R)-chrysanthemic acid (A) and (1R,3R)-second chrysanthemic
acid precursor (B)] were prepared: (i) C(1) epimerization
of ethyl (±)-chrysanthemates and optical resolution
using (S)-naphthylethylamine to afford A (96% ee) and (ii) concise derivatization of A to B (96% ee). All six pyrethrin esters (cinerin I/II, jasmolin
I/II, and pyrethrin I/II) were successfully synthesized utilizing
an accessible esterification reagent (TsCl/N-methylimidazole).
To investigate the stereostructure–activity relationship, all
four chiral stereoisomers of cinerin I were synthesized. Three alternative
syntheses of (±)-jasmololone were investigated (methods utilizing
Piancatelli rearrangement, furan transformation, and 1-nitropropene
transformation). Insecticidal activity assay (KD50 and
IC50) against the common mosquito (Culex
pipiens pallens) revealed that (i) pyrethrin I >
pyrethrin
II, (ii) pyrethrin I (II) > cinerin I (II) ≫ jasmolin I
(II),
and (iii) “natural” cinerin I ≫ three “unnatural”
cinerin I compounds (apparent chiral discrimination).