Aliphatic small rings including cyclopropanes, cyclobutanes, oxetanes, azetidines and bicyclo[1.1.1]pentanes have been increasingly exploited in medicinal chemistry. This review summarises judicious successful application and reported limitations of these ring systems.

The first enantioselective synthesis of (-)-himalensine A has been achieved in 22 steps. The synthesis was enabled by a novel catalytic, enantioselective prototropic shift/furan Diels-Alder (IMDAF) cascade to construct the ACD tricyclic core. A reductive radical cyclization cascade was utilized to build the B ring, and end-game manipulations featuring a molecular oxygen mediated γ-CH oxidation, a Stetter cyclization to access the pendant cyclopentenone, and a highly chemoselective lactam reduction delivered the natural product target.

Scheme 2. Bargon's proposed dinuclear mechanism for the Cp*Rucatalyzed E-selective reduction. Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl. Scheme 3. Fürstner's functional-group-tolerant trans hydrogenation (yield is a combination of E/Z stereoisomers and the alkane (5-15 %, as determined by GC analysis)). Tf = trifluoromethanesulfonyl. Angewandte Chemie 807

A synthetic strategy for the construction of the [7-5-5] all-carbon tricyclic core of numerous calyciphylline A-type Daphniphyllum alkaloids has been developed using a key intramolecular Pauson-Khand reaction. A subsequent base-mediated double-bond migration and a regio- and stereoselective radical late stage allylic oxygenation provide access to the substitution patterns of daphnilongeranin B and daphniyunnine D.