The thesis entitled “Total synthesis of bio-active natural products microcarpalide, synargentolide A, jaspine B and anamarine.” demonstrates the utility of chiral pool tartaric acid as the source in the synthesis of bio-active natural products. The thesis was divided into four sections. Section I of the thesis deals with the enantiodivergent synthesis of microcarpalide from tartaric acid. Microcarpalide is a 10-membered lactone of polyketide origin isolated from the fermentation broths of an unidentified endophytic fungi, found to be weekly cytotoxic to mammalian cells and acts as a microfilament discrupting agent. Stereoselective approach for the synthesis of ()-microcarpalide is described from D- and L-tartaric acids, while enantiodivergent approach for the synthesis of both enantiomers is described from L-tartaric acid using ring closing metathesis as the Scheme 2: Enantiodivergent total synthesis of microcarpalide. In section II of the thesis, stereoselective synthesis of synargentolide A is described. Synargentolide A is a polyhydroxy -lactone, isolated from Syncolostemon argenteus, which was founf to exhibit cytotoxic and antitumor properties. Stereoselective synthesis of synargentolide A was accomplished, starting from L-tartaric acid employing, Keck and Brown allylations and ring closing metathesis, as the key steps. Scheme 3: Stereoselective total synthesis of ()-synargentolide A. Section III of the thesis deals with the synthesis of ()-jaspine B. Pachastrissamine (jaspine B), is an anhydrophytoshingosine derivative, isolated from marine sponges Pachastrissa and Jaspis speces. Pachastrissamine was shown to exhibit cytotoxicity (IC 50 0.01 g/mL) against P388, A549, HT29, and MEL28 cell lines. Enantioselective synthesis of jaspine B is accomplished from L-tartaric acid employing, Keck allylation, acid mediated formation of tetrahydrofuran, and olefin cross metathesis as the key reactions. In section IV of the thesis, enantioselective synthesis of ()-anamarine is described. Anamarine is a polyhydroxy -lactone isolated from the flowers and leaves of Peruvian hyptis, possessing cytotoxicity against human tumor cell lines. Enantioselective synthesis of -anamarine is accomplishedelaboration of hitherto unknown -keto phosphonate derived from tartaric acid amide. In an appendix for the thesis, enantiodivergent synthesis for 4-siloxy-pent-2-enone was described. The usefulness of asymmetric aldol reaction is exemplifiedin this section. hydroxy amide synthesized from crotonaldehyde is suitably elaborated to the diene which on RCM yielded 4-silyloxycyclopent-2-enone. Further synthetic modification of this compound afforded the other enantiomer. Scheme 6: Enantiodivergent synthesis of hydroxy cyclopentenones. (For structural formula pl the abstract pdf file)

Section I of the thesis deals with the enantiospecific total synthesis of phomopsolide B. Phomopsolide B was isolated from a strain of Phomopsis Oblonga. Enantiospecific total synthesis of phomopsolide B was accomplished in 13 overall yield in 12 linear steps using (S)-lactic acid and L-tartaric acid as chiral pool precursors. Present approach involves the efficient use of -keto phosphonate derived from commercially available (S)-ethyl lactate. Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction and Still-Gennari olefination were employed as key reactions in the synthesis (scheme 1). Scheme 1: Total synthesis of phomopsolide B. [This work has been published: Prasad, K. R.; Gutala, P. Tetrahedron 2012, 68, 7489-7493.] Section II of the thesis describes the total synthesis of macrosphelides A and E which are isolated from a culture broth of Microsphaeropsis sp. FO-5050 and from the strain Periconia byssoides. Total synthesis of macrosphelides A and E was accomplished in 19 overall yield from commercially available (S)-ethyl lactate. Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction and Yamaguchi lactonization were employed as key reactions for the total synthesis of macrosphelides A and E (scheme 2). Scheme 2: Total synthesis of macrosphelides A and E. [This work has been published: Prasad, K. R.; Gutala, P. Tetrahedron 2011, 67, 4514-4520.] Section III of the thesis deals with total synthesis and determination of absolute configuration of synargentolide B 1. Synargentolide B 1 is a 5,6-dihydro--pyrone containing natural product and was isolated from Syncolostemon Argenteus by Rivett et al. in 1998 (fig 1). The relative stereochemistry at C-6, C-6′ positions in synargentolide B 1 was assigned to be R, S respectively based on the positive cotton effect in the CD spectrum. Threo stereochemistry was proposed for the C1′-C2′ diol unit in synargentolide B 1 based on the NMR studies. The stereochemistry at C-5 could not be assigned, hence the structure of synargentolide B 1 was tentatively proposed as 6R-[5,6S-(diacetyloxy)-1,2-(dihydroxy)-3Eheptenyl]-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one (fig. 1). Figure 1: Putative structure of synargentolide B 1. Based on the tentative stereochemistry at the C-6, C-6′ positions proposed by Rivett et al. and taking into consideration the threo relationship for the C-1′-C-2′ diol unit, it is anticipated that the structure of synargentolide B 1 could be one of the four possible diastereomers 1a-1d (fig 2). Figure 2: Possible diastereomers of synargentolide B (1a-d). Incidentally, one of the diastereomers 6R-[5R,6S-(diacetyloxy)-1S,2R-(dihydroxy)- 3E-heptenyl]-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one 1d was a reported natural product isolated in 1990 from Hyptis oblangifolia by Pereda-Miranda, R. et al. along with its corresponding diacetylated product 2 (fig 3). Fig. 3: Natural products isolated from Hyptis oblangifolia by Pereda-Miranda, R. et al. Total synthesis and determination of absolute configuration of synargentolide B 1 were accomplished by synthesizing four possible diastereomers of the natural product (1a-1d) and by comparison of the spectral data of all synthesized diastereomers with that of reported for the natural product. Wittig-Horner reaction of -keto phosphonate derived from (S)-lactic acid and ring closing metathesis reaction were employed as key reactions in the total synthesis of synargentolide B 1 (scheme 3 and 4). Scheme 3: Total synthesis of possible diastereomers of synargentolide B (1a, 1b). Scheme 4: Total synthesis of possible diastereomers of synargentolide B (1c, 1d). [This work has been published: Prasad, K. R.; Gutala, P. J. Org. Chem. (in press)]. It was found that spectral data of 1a, 1b, 1c were not in agreement with that reported for synargentolide B 1. However spectral data of 1d was in complete agreement with the data reported for synargentolide B 1. Spectral data of 1d was also in complete agreement with the data reported for the natural product isolated by Pereda-Miranda, R. et al. Since the absolute stereochemistry of tetraacetate 2 is identical to the absolute stereochemistry of 1d, we wanted to confirm the integrity of the diol 1d by synthesizing the corresponding acetate 2 which was also a natural product isolated by Pereda-Miranda et al. 1H NMR data of the synthesized tetraacetate 2 was in agreement with that reported for the isolated tetraacetate, while discrepancies were observed in the 13C NMR spectral data. To clear the uncertainty, X-ray crystal structure analysis of the tetraacetate 2 was performed. It was comprehensively proved that the structure of synthesized tetraacetate 2 was indeed same as the putative structure proposed for the isolated tetraacetate by Pereda-Miranda et al. The crystal structure analysis also confirmed the absolute stereochemistry of the tetraacetate 2 and 1d (synargentolide B 1). (For structural formula pl refer the abstract pdf file)