This thesis describes synthetic studies towards the tricyclic terpene framework of the cytotoxic natural product eleutherobin, and the investigation of biocatalytic methodology towards late stage functionalisation of the structure. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the biomedical significance of the natural product and to the various synthetic studies reported to date. Chapter 2 explores intramolecular Diels-Alder approaches to the construction of the nine- and six- membered rings present in the natural product. Chapter 3 describes alternative approaches to the eleutherobin core structure, leading to a formal synthesis of the natural product. The synthetic sequence developed is applied to the preparation of a small library of furanoid analogues of eleutherobin. Chapter 4 details the development of methodology for the one-pot preparation of (E)-4-methylhexa-3,5-dien-1-ol, and its use in an intermolecular Diels-Alder/lactonisation sequence to achieve enantioselective preparation of an important lactone building block. Chapter 5 describes studies on the mP450-mediated oxidation of various eleuthoside structures obtained. Finally, Chapter 6 details the construction of an electrochemical flow cell, and its use for the anodic oxidation of furfuryl alcohol derivatives.

Transition metal mediated [2 + 2 + 2] cyclizations have been well researched over the past several years. As a well-developed methodology, [2 + 2 + 2] chemistry has been employed as a major pathway to various carbo- and heterocyclic synthetic targets. Numerous transition metals have been applied as catalysts for these cyclizations. Previous work in our group developed cobalt(I) catalyzed inter- and intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] cyclizations of two alkynes and a nitrile, leading to the preparation of tetrahydro-naphthyridines. Pyridazines could be generated if the cyclization could be accomplished with two nitriles and an alkyne, which would be a novel way to synthesize 1,2-diazines through the formation of the N-N bond. To this end, metal-catalyzed intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] cyclizations between an alkyne and two nitriles were investigated. The intramolecular nature of the reaction provided the entropic advantage to successfully assist the formation of the critical N-N bond. Optimal conditions were achieved with cobalt(I) catalysts under microwave irradiation in chlorobenzene, producing the desired pyridazines in moderate to good yields. This success led to the preparation of a series of annulated pyridazines. The use of two tethering nitrogens in the preparation of the cyclization precursors incorporated points for further diversification, the next step in the development of this chemistry. This ring closure through N,N-bond formation allowed the construction of annulated pyridazine scaffolds that were utilized further in a small molecule library synthesis. Using this methodology, sixteen new annulated pyridazines were prepared. Inverse electron demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reactions of arynes and 1,2,4-triazines were also investigated for the generation of isoquinoline core structures. The results showed that only triazines with electron withdrawing groups participated in the IEDDA reactions with benzyne as a partner after screening of several different arynes, which limited the scope of the reaction. Liebeskind–Srogl reactions of 3-methylthiotriazines and boronic acids were investigated during the diversification of triazines, and microwave irradiation with palladium and copper catalysts were found to be the optimal conditions for the coupling. The chemistry allowed for further triazine diversification.

This thesis describes the total synthesis of the polyketide derived marine natural product (-)-maurenone (14) and synthetic studies of a model system for the marine polyketides, the spiculoic acids (20, 22-24). A biomimetic approach involving cyclisation of linear polyketide precursors to install the complex chemical frameworks was employed. Maurenone is a polypropionate derived metabolite isolated from pulmonate molluscs collected off the coast of Costa Rica. While structural assignment following isolation revealed a relatively uncommon tetra-substituted dihydropyrone moiety the only stereochemical information deduced was the trans-relative relationship between the C8 and C9 protons. The total synthesis of a series of eight stereoisomeric putative structures was achieved in order to assign the stereochemistry of (-)-maurenone (14), as that depicted above. A time and cost efficient strategy was developed utilising common intermediates providing access to the eight stereoisomeric structures in a convergent manner. Six key fragments, four aldehydes (109) and two ketones (110), were synthesised using highly diastereoselective syn- and anti-boron aldol reactions and were coupled using a lithium-mediated aldol reaction. Trifluoroacetic acid-promoted cyclisation/dehydration enabled installation the ƒ×-dihydropyrone ring. All eight isomers of one enantiomeric series were synthesised by coupling two ketones with each of four aldehydes. By comparison of the NMR data for the eight isomers with that reported for the natural product, the relative stereochemistry was established as shown. The (-)-enantiomer of maurenone was synthesised in nine linear steps (13 % overall yield) from (R)-2-benzylpentan-3-one ((R)-40) and (R)-2-benzoyloxypentan-3-one ((R)-39). The spiculoic acid family of polyketide derived natural products, isolated from plakortis sponges, possess a unique [4.3.0]-bicyclic core which is proposed to be formed via an enzyme catalysed Intramolecular Diels-Alder (IMDA) cycloaddition reaction of linear polyene precursors 25. Model linear precursors (114), possessing various olefin geometries at C2 and both stereochemical orientations of the C5 stereocentre, were synthesised in order to examine stereoselectivity of the thermally induced IMDA cycloaddition reaction. The two alternative C4-C6 stereotriads of the linear precursors 114 were achieved by employing highly diastereoselective substrate-controlled aldol reactions; an anti-boron aldol reaction, controlled by the facial preference of (R)-2-benzoyloxypentan-3-one ((R)-39), and a syn-titanium aldol reaction, under the control of chiral N-acylthiazolidinethione ((R)-43a). The diene and dienophile moieties were installed using either standard Wittig, H.W.E. or ¡§modified¡¨ Julia olefination reactions. A thorough stereochemical assignment of the cycloadducts of the thermally induced IMDA reaction of each linear precursor was accomplished employing 2D NMR techniques. Comparison of the stereochemistry of each of the cycloadducts with the spiculoic acids revealed that the linear precursor (2E,5S)-114 produced a cycloadduct 232 with stereochemistry analogous to the natural products in 94 % diastereoselectivity. Thus, a synthetic approach to the spiculoic acids via synthesis of a linear precursor 285 possessing a TBS ether at C5 in the S configuration was proposed. Unfortunately, problems encountered in the synthesis of the proposed linear precursors to the spiculoic acids ultimately prevented the total synthesis from being achieved.

Le diabète de type II (T2D), maladie dont la prévalence augmente parallèlement au vieillissement, à l'urbanisation et au développement de l'obésité, constitue un problème mondial de santé publique. C'est dans ce contexte, et dans le cadre d'une collaboration avec les Laboratoires Servier, que nous nous sommes intéressés au FR225654, récemment isolé (en 2005). Ce composé est caractérisé par une action inhibitrice de la gluconéogenèse intense in vitro et une action hypoglycémiante significative in vivo après administration par voie orale. Son mécanisme d'action n'est pas connu. Sur le plan structural, il s'agit d'une trans-décaline substituée par un beta-céto-énol et une chaîne latérale comportant un acide carboxylique insaturé. Nous avons développé une voie de synthèse multi-étapes de ce composé, reposant sur une réaction de Diels–Alder pour former la structure bicyclique. La synthèse du précurseur ainsi que de la chaine latérale ont fait l'objet de ce travail de thèse. Notre stratégie de synthèse le décompose en trois fragments et repose sur l'utilisation de réactions originales, efficaces et stéréosélectives permettant : une mise en place du centre asymétrique quaternaire ; une transformation de triple liaison en double liaisons (E) par réduction et/ou addition stéréosélective ; l'introduction d'une double liaison (E) trisubstituée par transposition dyotropique ; une réduction régio- et chimiosélective d'un système de type diène ester. Ce travail a également permis l'élaboration d'une nouvelle méthodologie de déprotection d'éther de paramethoxyphényl par oxydation anodique.

The structuring of canopy arthropod communities was reviewed and investigated in relation to tree species diversity and its component factors, interspersion of different species and density of each tree species. Fifteen treatments of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and red alder (Alnus rubra) (various densities and proportions of each) were randomly assigned to 0.073 ha plots, replicated three-fold at each of two locations in Western Oregon: the Cascade Head Experimental Forest and the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. The six treatments used in this study were two densities of Douglas-fir and red alder monoculture (1000 trees/ha and 500 trees/ha), and mixtures of Douglas-fir and red alder (500 trees/ha of each) planted simultaneously or red alder planted 6 years after the Douglas-fir. Trees were initially planted in 1985-1986. The arthropod communities were sampled in the summer of 1998 by bagging and pruning branches from the mid-canopy of both tree species. Multivariate analyses distinguished the arthropod communities found on each tree species and geographical location, but not among the different diversity and density treatments. Many arthropod taxa and functional groups residing on a single tree species had significantly different abundances between locations. The most commonly encountered taxon, Adelges cooleyi Gillette (Homoptera: Adelgidae), was most abundant on Douglas-firs in the 500 trees/ha monoculture and the mixture with younger red alder, and least abundant in the mixture with both species planted simultaneously (the 1000 trees/ha Douglas-fir monoculture was intermediate). Adelgids showed no significant response to location, but did respond to combinations of location x treatment. The functional group of sap-feeders was dominated by adelgids, and showed similar treatment differences on Douglas-fir. Defoliators on red alder responded in abundance to location, treatment (most abundant in the 500 trees/ha monoculture and even-aged mixture, least abundant in the 1000 trees/ha monoculture), and location x treatment. This study demonstrated that tree species and geographical location are the primary determinants of forest arthropod community composition at this spatial scale. However, tree species diversity and density can affect the abundance of certain arthropod taxa, apparently through some combination of resource quality and plant apparency. / Graduation date: 2000

Aminophosphonic and related compounds were almost unknown 50 years ago, but today the literature data have considerably increased. Their negligible mammalian toxicity and their similarity with aminoacids confer on these compounds a top place as potential candidates for drugs. The discovery of numerous natural aminophosphonic derivatives endowed with biological properties useful to both medicinal and agricultural fields enhanced the infatuation for synthetic analogs and homologs. Intensive work has been performed towards alpha-aminophosphonic compounds, the direct analogs of natural alpha-aminoacids, disclosing versatile strategies, compatible both with molecular diversity and asymmetric synthesis. Less synthetic effort was devoted to the synthesis of higher homologs. Recent developments of the Diels-Alder reaction offer an asymmetric and convergent entry to various six-membered highly functionalizable key intermediates, compatible with molecular variety. As it is, the Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction should provide an original and versatile entry to beta-, gamma- and delta-aminophosphonic compounds, a challenging research area. As a direct consequence of the strategy, one of the two D-A partners (diene or dienophile) will act as vehicle for the phosphonate moiety. By contrast to its common use for the stabilization of alpha-negative charges, its implication in D-A reactions remains scarce. Indeed, the phosphonate moiety is not an efficient substituent susceptible to activate the D-A reaction; its use requires compensation by the activation of the other partner or by specific activation. Both synthetic organic and computational chemistry will furnish information to propose a fine understanding of the key D-A steps, in view to optimize the achievement of the corresponding cycloadducts. These cycloadducts will be considered as synth-/chirons for the synthesis of aminophosphonic compounds.

The Diels-Alder reaction is one of the most powerful synthetic tools in organic chemistry, and asymmetric Diels-Alder catalysis allows for rapid construction of chiral carbon scaffolds. For this reason, considerable effort has been invested in developing efficient and stereoselective organo- and biocatalysts. However, Diels-Alder is a virtually unknown reaction in Nature, and to engineer an enzyme into a Diels-Alderase is therefore a challenging task. Despite several successful designs of catalytic antibodies since the 1980’s, their catalytic activities have remained low, and no true artificial ’Diels-Alderase’ enzyme was reported before 2010. In this thesis, we employ state-of-the-art computational tools to study the mechanism of organocatalyzed Diels-Alder in detail, and to redesign existing enzymes into intermolecular Diels-Alder catalysts. Papers I–IV explore the mechanistic variations when employing increasingly activated reactants and the effect of catalysis. In particular, the relation between the traditionally presumed concerted mechanism and a stepwise pathway, forming one bond at a time, is probed. Papers V–X deal with enzyme design and the computational aspects of predicting catalytic activity. Four novel, computationally designed Diels-Alderase candidates are presented in Papers VI–IX. In Paper X, a new parameterization of the Linear Interaction Energy model for predicting protein-ligand affinities is presented. A general finding in this thesis is that it is difficult to attain large transition state stabilization effects solely by hydrogen bond catalysis. In addition, water (the preferred solvent of enzymes) is well-known for catalyzing Diels- Alder by itself. Therefore, an efficient Diels-Alderase must rely on large binding affinities for the two substrates and preferential binding conformations close to the transition state geometry. In Papers VI–VIII, we co-designed the enzyme active site and substrates in order to achieve the best possible complementarity and maximize binding affinity and pre-organization. Even so, catalysis is limited by the maximum possible stabilization offered by hydrogen bonds, and by the inherently large energy barrier associated with the [4+2] cycloaddition. The stepwise Diels-Alder pathway, proceeding via a zwitterionic intermediate, may offer a productive alternative for enzyme catalysis, since an enzyme active site may be more differentiated towards stabilizing the high-energy states than for the standard mechanism. In Papers I and III, it is demonstrated that a hydrogen bond donor catalyst provides more stabilization of transition states having pronounced charge-transfer character, which shifts the preference towards a stepwise mechanism. Another alternative, explored in Paper IX, is to use an α,β -unsaturated ketone as a ’pro-diene’, and let the enzyme generate the diene in situ by general acid/base catalysis. The results show that the potential reduction in the reaction barrier with such a mechanism is much larger than for conventional Diels-Alder. Moreover, an acid/base-mediated pathway is a better mimic of how natural enzymes function, since remarkably few catalyze their reactions solely by non-covalent interactions. / <p>QC 20120903</p>

Intramolecular hydroamination represents a potentially general, simple strategy to access various nitrogen heterocycles. While important progress has been accomplished in recent years, six-membered ring formation via alkene hydroamination is typically difficult and limited to terminal alkenes, suggesting that only 2-methylpiperidines can be accessed reliably with current methods. As part of the Beauchemin group efforts on metal-free concerted hydroamination methods, the first part of this thesis describes the development of a Cope-type hydroamination-Meisenheimer rearrangement (CHMR) sequence that is applicable in inter- and intramolecular reactions. Data acquired from optimization on a difficult substrate (coniine) and the successful application of the CHMR sequence to the syntheses of N-norreticuline and 10-desbromoarborescidine are reported. The amination of alkenes is surprisingly scarcely used in the synthesis of complex alkaloids despite its potential for the construction of structurally challenging molecules while avoiding functional group interconversions. Hence, the second part of this thesis describes the studies on a novel amination sequence, consisting of an intermolecular Diels-Alder followed by an intramolecular hydroamination reaction, in the efforts towards the synthesis of biologically active and structurally complex Manzamine A. As such, the synthesis of the model substrates, including the development of a novel family of aminodienes, as well as the assessment of their reactivity towards [4+2] cycloadditions is reported.

This is a thesis in two parts. Part A examines two potential routes towards the synthesis of the communesin family of alkaloids, as well as an overview of some of the successful synthetic routes to date. Our first proposed route involves the gold catalyzed isomerization of an o-amino aryallene to a vinyl imine and subsequent (formal) cycloaddition with an indole. This would have allowed quick access to the pentacyclic core of the communesins; however, the unexpected 5-endo-dig product was exclusively obtained in good to excellent yields. The second route involves the use of a Meerwein- Eschenmoser Claisen rearrangement. This route was successful in affording the C, D, E and F rings of the communesin alkaloids, however future work is required for completion of the synthesis. Also discussed in these sections is an alternative endgame approach involving a novel Pictet-Spangler reaction to afford the G ring, and the possibility of an asymmetric variation to the proposed route. Part B examines the use of alkyl aluminum sesquichlorides in the catalysis of Diels-Alder cycloadditions of sterically hindered systems, a current obstacle in organic chemistry. Previously developed methods are discussed and preliminary results are presented. Ethyl aluminum sesquichloride is compared to other alkyl aluminum catalyst, and the effects of temperature, catalysts loading, choice of solvent, the use of additives, and the use of chiral oxazolidinones are reported and what these result can tell us about the mechanism of catalysis are discussed.

Asymmetric catalysis is one of the most effective ways to control a target molecule’s stereochemistry. Through the development of a wide variety of chiral transition metal complexes, synthetic chemists are given the tools they need to synthesize the desired enantiomer of numerous compounds. This work focuses on exploiting the non-innocent ligand reactivity of metal bis-dithiolenes with multiple conjugated π systems in order to synthesize chiral ligands. Recent work has shown that platinum bis-dithiolene reacts with dienes stereoselectively to form a racemic mix of C2 -chiral thioether ligands. The present contribution will show approaches to synthesizing chiral dienes and organometallic complexes with potential applications for asymmetric allylic substitution reactions. Dienes with various chiral auxiliaries were reacted with platinum dithiolene and monitored through NMR spectroscopy. Attempts to synthesis palladium bis-dithiolene complexes, not previously seen in the literature were made, and the reaction of α-β unsaturated ketones with metal bis-dithiolenes was explored.