An improved second generation approach to pestalotiopsin A and 6-epitaedolidol has been developed. A silicon group bonded directly to carbon has been used as a stereocontrol element in cyclisation substrates for a SmI2 – mediated 4-exo-trig radical cyclisation. The silicon groups acts as a steric block to set up three new stereocentres in high to complete diastereocontrol. Several approaches to the cyclisation substrates are outlined, including a silyl transfer/aldol cascade and a novel C2-symmetric N-heterocyclic carbene – copper catalyst to asymmetrically install a C-Si bond. The silicon group is a versatile handle for further manipulation and has been oxidised using Fleming oxidation conditions to install the hydroxyl functionality required in the target compounds. The silicon group also simplifies the alcohol protecting group strategy in the approach to pestalotiopsin A and 6‐epitaedolidol. The first application of N-heterocyclic carbene – copper catalysed silyl transfer in natural product synthesis and the first use of a SmI2 – mediated cyclisation directed by a C-Si stereocontrol element are described.

De précédentes études dans notre groupe ont montré que l'α-1-C-nonyl-1,5-didésoxy-1,5-imino-D-xylitol était un inhibiteur puissant de la β-glucocérébrosidase, enzyme impliquée dans la maladie de Gaucher. Il a été supposé que la conformation chaise inversée de ce composé pouvait expliquer en partie sa forte affinité avec la glycosidase cible. L'objectif ce travail de thèse était la synthèse d'une nouvelle classe d’iminosucres, basée sur un squelette 1-azaspiro[3.3]heptane, possédant deux cycles à 4 membres, analogue conformationnellement contraint de notre "lead" en série iminoxylitol. La première stratégie de synthèse envisagée a permis de mettre en avant une nouvelle réaction tandem d'ouverture d'azétidines conduisant à des spirocyclopropyl γ-lactames. La seconde stratégie testée a conduit dans un premier temps à la formation hautement stéréosélective d'un cyclobutane tétrasubstitué par une réaction radicalaire induite par le SmI2 − permettant ainsi la synthèse des premiers exemples de carbasucres à 4 membres − puis à la formation du carbone azaspiranique de notre cible par une réaction de C-H amination catalysée par des complexes de rhodium. / Previous studies in our group has shown that α-1-C-nonyl-1,5-dideoxy-1,5-imino-D-xylitol was a strong inhibitor of β-glucocerebrosidase, the enzyme involved in Gaucher disease. It was supposed that the inverted chair conformation of this compound could partially explain its high affinity with the target glycosydase.The goal of this PhD work was the synthesis of a new class of iminosugars based on 1-azaspiro[3.3]heptane structures, as conformationally strained analogues of our lead in the iminoxylitol series. During the course of our synthetic study, new azetidine ring-opening tandem reaction leading to spirocyclopropyl γ-lactames has been discovered. The most promising strategy evaluated led to the highly stereoselective formation of a tetrasubstituted cyclobutane via a SmI2-mediated radical reaction − leading to the synthesis of the first exemples of 4-membered carbasugars − then to the formation of the azaspiranic carbon of our target by way of rhodium-catalyzed C-H amination reaction.