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A total synthesis of the vasicinone family of natural products from bulk chemicals was developed. Reductive condensation of o-nitrobenzaldehydes with amines utilizing iron pentacarbonyl as a reducing agent followed by subsequent oxidation leads to a great variety of polycyclic nitrogen-containing heterocycles under mild conditions. Enantiomerically pure vasicinone, rutaecarpine, isaindigotone, and luotonin were synthesized from readily available starting materials like hydroxy­proline, nitrobenzaldehyde, pyrrolidine, and piperidine in two to four operational steps without chromatography. The antifungal activity of all products was tested.

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