Research Projects

The project proposal aims to design new synthetic strategies for total syntheses of six complex natural products: amphilectolide, cephanolide, morphine, quinine, reserpine, and strychnine. Key features include domino reactions to achieve complexity and using inexpensive monosaccharides (D-glucose and D-xylose) as starting materials. The group has developed new strategies for synthesizing natural products such as vinigrol, cortistatin, palmerolide C, palmerolde A, (-)-cladospolide A, (+)-cladospolide D, and several angucyclinone antibiotics. The main objective is to develop a general, short, and unified strategy for the core structure through the synthesis of its desmethyl analogue. Reserpine, an indole alkaloid, is aimed at total synthesis using a domino enamine/1-4-addition/reduction/cyclization sequence. Strychnine, another important and molecularly complex alkaloid, is aimed at total synthesis using a domino enyne metathesis reaction. (-)-quinine, an antimalarial agent, is aimed at total synthesis using a domino enyne metathesis reaction. Cephanolides A-D, recently isolated from cephalotaxus sinensis, are structurally and biosynthetically related to harringtonolide and fortalpinoid. The total synthetic route to cephanolide starts from D-glucose and involves either [2+2+2] cyclotrimerization or a domino enyne-Diels-Alder reaction. Morphine, the first alkaloid isolated in pure form from opium poppy, is a well-known pain reliever. The approach involves a domino enyne-RCM strategy to synthesize morphine and its active analogues.