ChemInform Abstract: Optical Rotation Computation, Total Synthesis, and Stereochemistry Assignment of the Marine Natural Product Pitiamide A.

Abstract

We report the joint application of ab initio computations and total synthesis to assign the absolute configuration of a new natural product. The expected specific rotations of the (7S,10R)- and (7R,10R)-isomers of pitiamide A in a CHCl3 solvent continuum model were determined as +8 and −39, respectively, by CADPAC calculations of the electric-dipole−magnetic-dipole polarizability tensor. Total syntheses of these two stereoisomers of the marine metabolite were achieved by a convergent strategy that utilized Evans' oxazolidinone alkylation, a novel water-accelerated modification of Negishi's zirconocene-catalyzed asymmetric carbometalation as well as an unusual segment condensation via Mitsunobu alkylation of a nosyl-activated amide. The experimental optical rotation measurements confirmed the results of the computational optical rotation predictions. On the basis of NMR comparisons, the configuration of pitiamide A was assigned as (7R,10R). These studies highlight the considerable structural significance o...