Total Synthesis of Dynobactin A

The first total synthesis of the potent antimicrobial agent dynobactin A is disclosed. This synthesis capitalizes on the hidden symmetry present in this complex decapeptide by enlisting an aziridine ring opening strategy to access b-branched amino acids. Featuring a number of unique maneuvers to navigate inherently sensitive and epimerizable functional groups, this convergent approach proceeds in only 14 steps (LLS) from commercial materials and should facilitate the synthesis of numerous analogs for medicinal chemistry studies.