This thesis concentrates on the study of the SnI like ring opening of epoxides, and in particular, it focuses on the formation of ally lie alcohols and a,/-unsaturated ketones from epoxides. The work is described in the three main chapters of this thesis. An introductory chapter reviews the target natural product, I-carvone, and its industrial applications. There is a comprehensive review of the existing preparative methods of allylic alcohols from epoxides, with detailed discussion of the types of mechanisms involved. Subsequently, there is a discussion on the transformation of epoxides to ,/-unsaturated ketones. The chapter covering results and discussion opens with a brief overview of the investigational work previously carried out into the SnI like ring opening of a model molecule, 1-methylcyclohexene oxide. This is followed by a description of how a new methodology for the acidic ring opening of epoxides was developed and optimised. This chemistry, leading to the formation of allylic alcohols through an SnI like mechanism, involved the use of a urea derivative. The scope and limitations of this novel methodology are then discussed through its application to a wider range of epoxide substrates. The chapter elaborates on the different strategies attempted, based on some adaptation of some of the existing methods of oxidation of alcohols to ketones, to achieve a one-pot synthesis of an a,/-unsaturated ketones from an epoxide. A novel synthesis was subsequently developed using a triflate sulfonium salt. The chapter is rounded off with a summary of the results of this work and of prospective future work. A concluding chapter provides a formal description of the experimental results and procedures together with appropriate references.

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This thesis investigates a total synthesis of the incednine aglycon by utilising alkenylsilane reagents to assemble the pentaenyl and tetraenyl systems through cross-coupling reactions. The early chapters develop methodology to access both cyclic alkenylsiloxanes and functionalised (E)-alkenylsilanes by the controlled hydrogenation of alkynylsiloxanes and silylolefination of aldehydes, respectively, and culminate in the synthesis of a C6-C13 bis(alkenylsilane)incednine fragment (Scheme 1). The C1-C5 and C14-C23 coupling partners are synthesised in three and ten steps from propargyl alcohol and L-alanine methyl ester through phosphorous-based olefination strategies. In the final chapter we describe our first generation approach to incednine which entails orthogonal cross-couplings to construct the C5-C6 and C13-C14 bonds (Scheme 2).

Le travail suivant est consacré d'une part à l'emploi du calix[4]arène comme une plate-forme organisatrice de principes actifs pour la conception de nouvelles prodrogues. Ce concept a été développé avec des substances antibactériennes ou antivirales, choisies comme modèles. Les conjugués calixarène - anti-infectieux ainsi synthétisés sont amphiphiles et insolubles dans l'eau. Leur comportement interfacial a été étudié via l'interface eau-air, mime d'une interface hydrophile-hydrophobe physiologique, à l'aide de la technique des films monomoléculaires de Langmuir. Nos résultats indiquent que ces prodrogues étalées à l'interface eau-air peuvent libérer leurs principes actifs dans la sous-phase. La méthodologie développée pour ces études de réactivité interfaciale pourrait à l'avenir être appliquée à d'autres prodrogues à base de calix[4]arène. Un second projet a concerné le trifluoroacétate de tétra-p-(guanidinoéthyl)-calix[4]arène (CX1). Ce composé présente des propriétés antibactériennes à large spectre, couplées à une faible toxicité cellulaire. Nos travaux ont visé à mieux comprendre son mode d'action, lié à une perturbation des parois bactériennes, par une approche physico-chimique. La technique de Langmuir a donc été employée afin d'étudier les interactions entre le CX1 et des films monomoléculaires de phospholipides étalés à l'interface eau-air, utilisés comme modèles de membrane bactérienne. Nos résultats nous ont permis de proposer un mode d'organisation des membranes bactériennes sous l'influence du CX1. Nous avons ainsi apporté des précisions sur son mécanisme d'action qui pourraient être utiles dans le développement de nouveaux calixarènes antibactériens / This work begins with utilization of the calix[4]arene macrocycle as organizing platform of anti-infectious molecules shaped as prodrug. The concept has been explored using antibacterial (nalidixic acid) and antiviral (aciclovir, ganciclovir) molecules, chosen as models. The calixarene - anti-infectious conjugates synthesized have amphiphilic structure and are insoluble in aqueous media. Their interfacial behavior was studied via the air-water interface, considered as mimic of biological hydrophilic-hydrophobic interfaces, using Langmuir monolayers technique. Our results indicate that calixarene-based prodrugs spread at the air-water interface are able to release anti-infectious molecules into the subphase. The original methodology employed for interfacial reactivity studies could be applied to further calixarene-based prodrugs. A second project concerns the trifluoroacetate salt of tetra-p-(guanidinoethyl)-calix[4]arene (CX1). CX1 is antibacterial, active against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with low eukaryotic cell toxicity. The aim of our work was to get more insight in the mechanism of action of CX1, involving bacterial wall disruption, by a physico-chemical approach. The Langmuir monolayers technique was employed in order to study interactions between CX1 and phospholipid monolayers spread at the air-water interface, used as models of bacterial membranes. Our results led us to propose a particular reorganization mode of bacterial membranes upon interactions with CX1. This proposal gives more understanding in the mechanism of biological activity of CX1, and could be helpful in developing new antibacterial calixarene derivatives