Complexity generation by chemical synthesis: A five-step synthesis of (-)-chaetominine from l-tryptophan and its biosynthetic implications

Article abstract of DOI:10.1039/c4ob00314d

We demonstrated, for the first time, that on the basis of chemistry principles, the hexacyclic peptidyl alkaloid (-)-chaetominine (1) can be synthesized in a straightforward manner from l-Trp. The approach features the efficient generation of molecular complexity via a tandem C3/C14 syn-selective epoxidation (dr = 3:2)-annulative ring-opening reaction and a regioselective epimerization at C14. The successful production of (-)-chaetominine (1) from l-Trp could be helpful for revealing how the configuration of l-tryptophan becomes inverted in the biosynthetic pathway of (-)-chaetominine (1). This journal is the Partner Organisations 2014.