A novel enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-alstonerine has been completed that requires only 1 5 steps from L-tryptophan. The synthesis features the first application of a Pauson-Khand reaction t o synthesize an azabridged bicyclic skeleton.The macroline/sarpagine class of indole alkaloids is a rich source of biologically active natural products, some of which exhibit hypotensive, antiamoebic, and antimalarial activities. 1 For example, alstonerine (1) has recently been reported to exhibit cytotoxic activity against two human lung cancer cell lines. 2 The alkaloids of this family contain an azabicyclo[3.3.1] substructure that is annelated to an indole ring. It is thus fitting that a number of strategies have been devised to access this structural motif including sequential Pictet-Spengler and Dieckmann condensations, 3 ring-closing metathesis, 4 phosphine-catalyzed [4+2] annulation/ Friedel-Crafts cyclization, 5 or aza-Diels-Alder/intramolecular Heck reaction. 6 As a representative member of the macroline/sarpagine family, two total syntheses and one formal synthesis of 1 have been reported. 5, 7In the context of a longstanding interest in alkaloid synthesis, we have been intrigued by designing and developing novel and general strategies for the facile preparation of representative members of different alkaloid families. 8 We have recently explored a number of transition metal catalyzed reactions for the construction of ring systems common to a number of alkaloids. In the context of some investigations toward developing some new cascade reactions, 9 we became interested in examining the potential of the Pauson-Khand reaction (PKR) for alkaloid synthesis. The intramolecular version of the PKR has been applied to the syntheses of a few natural products, 10 but its use has overwhelmingly been limited to forming fused bicyclo-[3.3.0]octenones and bicyclo[4.3.0]nonenones. 11, 12Our ongoing efforts to develop concise routes for the elaboration of azabridged bicyclic structures led us to query whether the scope of the PKR might be extended to include cyclizations of cis-2,6-disubstituted piperidine enynes. Considering the absolute lack of precedent for such a PKR, the simple model substrate 4 was first prepared to explore the feasibility of such a construction (Scheme 1). Thus, by analogy with previous work in our laboratories, 4, 13 reaction of 4-methoxypyridine (2) with the anion derived from trimethylsilylacetylene in the presence of Cbz-Cl gave the unsaturated piperidinone 3. Lewis acid mediated conjugate addition of allyltribuyltin followed by treatment of the intermediate silyl acetylene with TBAF provided the enyne substrate 4 in >19:1 diastereoselectivity. To our delight, the ensuing PKR proceeded cleanly to give 5 as a single diastereomer. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of a PKR to provide an azabridged bicyclic product.Correspondence to: Stephen F. Martin. Having thus established the underlying viability of using PKRs to form azabicyclo[3.3.1] bicyclononanes fused with cyclop...