A highly convergent synthesis of cryptophycins in their enantiomerically-pure forms was achieved. Our strategy consists of the synthesis of the two units 3 and 4 and linking them together to form the macrocyclic ring. The upper unit 3 was prepared from 10 in four steps, and the lower unit 4 was prepared from 20 in three steps. Enantioselective biocatalytic methodology was used to prepare the requisite chiral building blocks, (R)-11 and (R)-19. The stereochemical versatility of this synthetic approach is demonstrated by the synthesis of cryptophycin A and the four diastereomers of cryptophycin C.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.