Studies towards the total synthesis of condylacarpine and studies towards the enantioselective synthesis of (+)-methyl lysergate

Abstract

An iminium ion cascade sequence was designed and its implementation attempted to form the pentacyclic core structure of the natural product condylocarpine. Trapping of the transient Pictet-Spengler-type spiroindolenium ion with a latent nucleophile would form two of the five rings of condylocarpine in a regioselective manner. Progress towards the first fully stereocontrolled synthesis of a lysergic acid derivative has been described. The route utilizes intermediates with the appropriate oxidation state for the target, and the two stereocenters are installed via asymmetric catalysis. The d ring and second stereocenter were simultaneously formed via an unprecedented microwave heated asymmetric ring closing metathesis (ARCM).