Synthesis of the bis-spiroacetal moiety of the polyether antibiotic CP44,161

Abstract

The syntheses of bis-spiroacetals 25a, 25c and 40 which constitute the central framework of the polyether antibiotic CP44,161 4, are described. The tricyclic bis-spiroacetal ring is formed by oxidative cyclisation of hydroxyspiroacetal 9 which in turn is assembled from lactone 10 and acetylene 11. The key stereogenic centres in acetylene 11 were assembled using a Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation and an Evans asymmetric alkylation of a chiral oxazolidinone. Asymmetric dihydroxylation of alkene 14 using (DHQ)₂PHAL (hydroquinine phthalazine-1,4-diyl diether) led to acetylene 22 which in turn was converted to bis-spiroacetals 25a and 25c. Construction of the isomeric acetylene 11 was effected via Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation of alkene 14 using the pseudoenantiomeric chiral ligand (DHQD)₂PHAL which in turn led to the formation of bis-spiroacetal 40 with the same configuration at C-2 as that present in antibiotic CP44,161 4. Barbier addition of bromide 8 to bis-spiroacetal aldehyde 27 afforded alcohol 28 which was then converted to polyethers 32 and 33via an epoxidation cyclization strategy. This latter reaction sequence demonstrated the feasibility of appending the E ring to the tricyclic bis-spiroacetal BCD ring system of antibiotic CP44,161 4.