Introduced by Henri Kagan more than three decades ago, samarium diiodide (SmI 2 ) has found increasing applications in chemical synthesis. This single-electron reducing agent has been particularly useful in C-C bond formations, including those found in total synthesis endeavors. This Review highlights selected applications of SmI 2 in total synthesis, with special emphasis on novel transformations and mechanistic considerations. The examples discussed are both illustrative of the power of this reagent in complex molecule construction and inspirational for the design of synthetic strategies toward such targets, both natural and designed.

Platensimycin (1) is the flagship member of a new and growing class of antibiotics with promising antibacterial properties against drug resistant bacteria. The total syntheses of platensimycin and its congeners, platensimycins B 1 (7) and B 3 (9), platensic acid (2), methyl platensinoate (3), platensimide A (4), homoplatensimide A (5), and homoplatensimide A methyl ester (6) ( Figure 1) are described. The convergent strategy developed toward these target molecules involved construction of their cage-like core followed by attachment of the various side chains through amide bond formation. In addition to a racemic synthesis, two asymmetric routes to the core structure are described: one exploiting a rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric cycloisomerization, and another employing a hypervalent iodine-mediated dearomatizing cyclization of an enantiopure substrate. The final two bonds of the core structure were forged through a samarium diiodide-mediated ketyl radical cyclization and an acid-catalyzed etherification. The rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric reaction involving a terminal acetylene was developed as a general method for the asymmetric cycloisomerization of terminal enynes.

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