Abstract
Chemical and spectroscopic evidence is presented for an interesting acid-catalyzed rearrangement of the alkaloid catharanthine. Four reaction products (descarbomethoxycatharanthine and cleavamine and its two dihydro derivatives) were isolated, and their formation is rationalized by a mechanism involving ring-opened intermediates. Evidence is presented in support of the proposed mechanism and, in particular, a novel transannular cyclization leading to the Iboga alkaloid skeleton is shown in support of the steps postulated for the formation of descarbomethoxycatharanthine.The X-ray analysis of cleavamine methiodide established the absolute configuration of the lone asymmetric center present in the molecule and, from these results, the absolute configuration of the Iboga alkaloids can be derived.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.