Synthesis of regioisomeric analogues of crisamicin A

Abstract

The synthesis of bis-furonaphthopyrans 12a and 12b, regioisomeric analogues of the dimeric pyranonaphthoquinone antibiotic crisamicin A 1 is described. The key intermediate 16 was prepared via a one-pot in situ Suzuki–Miyaura homocoupling of naphthyl triflate 23 using bis(pinacolato)diboron. Oxidation of binaphthyl 16 to bis-naphthoquinone 14 was then effected with silver(II) oxide and nitric acid. Efficient double furofuran annulation of bis-naphthoquinone 14 with 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran 8 afforded bis-furonaphthofuran adducts 13a and 13b as an inseparable 1 ∶ 1 mixture of diastereomers. Oxidative rearrangement of this mixture of bis-furonaphthofuran adducts 13a and 13b using silver(II) oxide and nitric acid afforded unstable bis-furonaphthopyrans 12a and 12b also as a 1 ∶ 1 mixture of diastereomers. Addition of 2-trimethylsilyloxyfuran 8 to naphthoquinone 25 afforded adduct 26 that underwent oxidative rearrangement to furonaphthopyran 27, however attempts to effect Suzuki–Miyaura homocoupling of triflates 26 and 27 to their respective dimers 13 and 12, was unsuccessful.