A Remarkable Ring Contraction En Route to the Chartelline Alkaloids

Abstract

General procedures. All reactions were carried out under an inert nitrogen atmosphere with dry solvents under anhydrous conditions unless otherwise stated. Dry tetrahydrofuran (THF), toluene, benzene, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), methanol (MeOH), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and triethylamine (Et3N) were obtained by passing these previously degassed solvents through activated alumina columns. Reagents were purchased at the highest commercial quality and used without further purification, unless otherwise stated. Copper(I) iodide was freshly purified from refluxing saturated aqueous NaI solution (aqueous). Yields refer to chromatographically and spectroscopically (H NMR) homogeneous materials, unless otherwise stated. Reactions were monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC) carried out on 0.25 mm E. Merck silica gel plates (60F-254) using UV light as the visualizing agent and an acidic mixture of anisaldehyde or phosphomolybdic acid or basic aqueous potassium permangante (KMnO4) and heat as developing agents. E. Merck silica gel (60, particle size 0.043–0.063 mm) was used for flash column chromatography. Preparative thin layer chromatography (PTLC) separations were carried out on 0.25 or 0.5 mm E. Merck silica gel plates (60F-254). NMR spectra were recorded on Bruker DRX-600, DRX-500, and AMX-400 or Varian Inova-400 instruments and calibrated using residual undeuterated solvent as an internal reference. The following abbreviations were used to explain the multiplicities: s = singlet, d = doublet, t = triplet, q = quartet, m = multiplet, b = broad. High-resolution mass spectra (HRMS) were recorded on Agilent LC/MSD TOF time-of-flight mass spectrometer by electrospray ionization time of flight reflectron experiments. IR spectra were recorded on a Perkin Elmer Spectrum BX FTIR spectrometer. Melting points were recorded on a Fisher-Johns 12-144 melting point apparatus.