Enantioselective total syntheses of the pentacyclic
5,11-methanomorphanthridine Amaryllidaceae
alkaloids
(−)-montanine (1), (−)-coccinine (2), and
(−)-pancracine (3) were accomplished using an
intramolecular concerted
pericyclic allenylsilane imino ene cycloaddition as a key step.
These complex natural products were constructed
starting from readily available enantiomerically pure epoxy alcohol
15 which was converted to allenylsilane
aldehyde
28
via an efficient nine-step sequence. The
imine generated from aldehyde 28 and iminophosphorane
47 underwent
a stereospecific thermal imino ene reaction to afford key intermediate
cis aminoalkyne 49. It was possible to
transform
this compound via Lindlar hydrogenation followed by an
intramolecular Heck reaction to seven-membered ring
tetracycle 51. This olefinic intermediate could be
functionalized through its epoxide to yield
α-hydroxymethyl
intermediate 54, and then pentacyclic alcohol 64.
Procedures were then developed to convert this material to
the
enantiomerically pure alkaloids 1−3. A
formal enantioselective total synthesis of (−)-brunsvigine
(4) was also
achieved via triol 72.