A suitable intermediate for the synthesis of eremophilanes and bakkanes was prepared by a highly regioselective and stereoselective one-step synthesis through a niobium catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction. As a demonstration of the versatility of this intermediate, a total synthesis of (+/-)-bakkenolide A is described.

This work discloses the first examples of an effective enantioselective oxy‐Heck–Matsuda reaction using a variety of styrenic olefins to generate chiral dihydrobenzofurans. The reaction proceeds in moderate to good yields, with high trans diastereoselectivity (up to 20:1) in enantioselectivities up to 90:10 using the N,N‐ligand pyrimidine‐bisoxazoline (PyriBox). The oxy‐Heck–Matsuda reactions were carried out under mild conditions and rather low catalyst loadings. The feasibility and practicality of the process is demonstrated by a concise total synthesis of the neolignan (−)‐conocarpan. X‐ray diffraction of an advanced brominated intermediate in the route to (−)‐conocarpan has allowed the unequivocal assignment of the absolute stereochemistry of the oxy‐Heck–Matsuda aryldihydrobenzofuran products. A rationale for the mechanism operating in these enantioselective oxy‐Heck–Matsuda reactions is also presented.magnified image

Novel palladium-catalyzed redox-relay Heck arylation reactions of trisubstituted allylic alkenols were developed employing silyl and methyl ethers. The reactions proceeded under mild conditions in moderate to high yields in an excellent anti diastereoselectivity to form α,β-disubstituted methyl ketones containing two contiguous stereocenters. The new redox-relay arylations using silyl and methyl ethers of the starting alkenols demonstrate that the presence of a free hydroxyl group is not a sine qua non condition for an effective redox-relay process as previously thought. Deuterium-labeled alkenols 2-d-10a, 2-d-10b, and 2-d-10c permitted tracking the palladium-hydride reinsertion steps in the conversion of the starting free alcohols, silyl, and methyl ethers into the corresponding methyl ketone 3-d-11a, with >98% deuterium retention. Moreover, the synthetic potential of the method was demonstrated with a straightforward synthesis of the meso-hexestrol in 4 steps, in 41% overall yield from alkenol 10a.

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective, noncovalent, substrate-directable Heck desymmetrizations of cyclopentenyl olefins containing hydroxymethyl and carboxylate functional groups are presented. These conformationally unbiased cyclic olefins underwent effective arylations in yields of up to 97 %, diastereoselectivity up to >20:1, and enantiomeric excesses of up to 99 %. Noncovalent directing effects were shown to be prevalent in both Heck-Matsuda and oxidative Heck reactions, allowing the preferential formation of cis-substituted aryl cyclopentenes containing two stereocenters, including quaternary stereocenters. These results further validate the internal out-of-coordination-sphere ion-dipole interaction concept directing the reaction diastereoselectivity to the cis-Heck product. This approach is complementary to existing methods using bis-phosphine monoxide ligands to give the opposite trans-diastereoisomer. The applicability of the method is showcased by the straightforward synthesis of a potent phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor in a diastereo- and enantioselective manner. The reaction is operationally simple and has broad scope with regard to the nature of the arenediazonium salt and boronic acid employed. The mechanism and origin of stereoselectivity were investigated with control experiments and DFT calculations that fully supported the stabilizing internal out-of-coordination-sphere ion-dipole interaction between the resident functional group and cationic palladium.