3.2. General procedures
Regiospecific oxirane opening.
trans-epoxyamide 2a (0.1g, 1.0 equiv, 0.29 mmol), was dissolved in 1 mL of chloroform at 25 °C, then 3 drops of HBr (48%) were added and the reaction mixture was stirred for 40 minutes. Then, NaHCO3 was added, and the resulting reaction mixture was filtered. Finally, the solvents were evaporated. Product 3 was crystallized in a mixture of petroleum ether: DCM (70:30). Bromohydrin 3 was obtained in 98% yield. (All spectroscopic details are described in ESI).
Reductive remotion of chiral auxiliary.
To a solution of bromohydrin 3 (110 mg, 0.26 mmol) in anhydrous THF (0.08 M) under ultrasonic activation at 5 °C, was added in portions a solution of LiBH4 (2M, THF, 5 equiv.). After 2 h, 1 mL of H2O2 (30%) was added slowly to the reaction mixture followed by addition of NaOH (3 N) solution. The mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature. The crude reaction was then filtered and then the organic layer was dried over anhydrous Na2SO4. After evaporation of the solvent from the filtrate, the residue was subjected to purification by flash column chromatography (SiO2, CH2Cl2/MeOH). Epoxyalcohol 4 was obtained in 73% yield. (All spectroscopic details are described in ESI).
Tosylation of epoxyalcohol 4.
Compound 4 was dissolved in DCM and the resulting solution was cooled to 0°C, then Et3N (0.405 mmol, 0.058 mL) and DMAP (0.0026 g, 0.021 mmol) were added. The resulting mixture was stirred for 10 minutes, then p-TsCl (0.062g, 0.325 mmol) was added in portions and the mixture was stirred for 1 h. Finally, the reaction was quenched by adding a brine solution, and the organic phase was separated and dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, filtered and the solvent was evaporated yielding the desired tosylated epoxyalcohol 5 which was obtained in 94% yield after purification by chromatography (silica gel, AcOEt/petroleum ether). (Spectroscopic details are described in ESI).
General procedure for a one pot regiospecific oxirane opening and intramolecular nucleophilic cyclization reaction
With hydrohalic acids
Compound 5 (0.053g, 0.173 mmol) was dissolved in CHCl3 (1 mL) at room temperature, then the corresponding hydrohalic acid was injected through a needle into the solution and stirring for 3 hours. Finally, the reaction was quenched by adding NaHCO3 until pH = 7. Then, the mixture was filtered, and the solvent was evaporated to get the corresponding inseparable diastereomeric mixture of indolizinium salt which was used without purification for the next reaction. (Spectroscopic details are described in ESI).
With H2O or BnOH as nucleophile
To a solution of compound 5 (0.079g, 0.26 mmol) and the corresponding nucleophile (0.029mL, 0.228mmol) in 1,4-dioxane (1mL) was added ytterbium trifluoromethanesulfonate (0.016g, 0.1 equiv.) under inert atmosphere. The suspension was stirring for 24 hours. Finally, the solvent was evaporated and the desired indolizinium salt was precipitated in AcOEt/petroleum ether given the corresponding inseparable diastereomeric mixture of indolizinium salt.
Diastereospecific reduction of indolizinium salts
To a stirred solution of the corresponding indolizinium salt (0.084 mmol, 29 mg) in methanol (3 mL) at 0 °C was added slowly NaBH4 (10 mg, 0.26 mmol). After, the mixture was stirred for 10 minutes and then a saturated aqueous solution of NaSO4 was added. Next, the resulting mixture was filtered through a celite pad. The solution was evaporated, and the residue was purified by flash chromatography to afford the desired hexahydroindolizin-2-ol. (Spectroscopic details are described in ESI).
Catalytic hydrogenation
To a methanolic solution of the diastereomeric indolizidinium salt 10(a+b) was added concentrated HCl (1 drop) and the resulting mixture was hydrogenated at room temperature in the presence of 10% PtO2. The reaction was stirred overnight. Then, NaOH (3M) solution was added, and the resulting crude reaction was extracted with dichloromethane, dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, filtered, concentrated, and finally subjected to purification by flash column chromatography (SiO2, CH2Cl2/MeOH). The desired (–)-1-epi-lentiginosine was obtained with 87 % yield. (Spectroscopic details are described in ESI).