The development of a new convertible isocyanide, indole-isocyanide, for ready access to pyroglutamic acids culminated in the formal total synthesis of the proteasome inhibitor omuralide featuring a stereocontrolled Ugi reaction. Indole-isocyanide was named after the facilitation of hydrolysis of the resulting 2-(2,2-dimethoxyethyl)anilide via an N-acylindole intermediate obtained by the Ugi multicomponent condensation reaction followed by the indole formation.

Pawhuskin A is an isoprenylated stilbene that was isolated from Dalea purpurea and reported to have affinity for the opioid receptor in vitro. It has been synthesized through a convergent sequence that joins a prenylated aldehyde with a geranylated phosphonate in a stereoselective Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons condensation to afford the target E olefin isomer. This synthesis confirms the structure assigned to the natural product and establishes a route that may be used to explore its biological activity and to prepare more active analogues.

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