Studies in Natural Product Chemistry: Synthesis of Palmarumycin CP1 Analogs and Total Synthesis and Structure Validation of (+)-Bistramide C

The first chapter describes our preparation of novel analogs of the natural product, palmarumycin CP1. Several derivatives demonstrated potent and selective inhibition of thioredoxin and thioredoxin reductase as well as antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we also made progress towards the synthesis of the structurally related naphthalenediol spiroacetal natural product, spiroxin C. We developed efficient, facile syntheses for the preparation of the two building blocks required for the key Ullmann ether coupling reaction.The second chapter details the asymmetric total synthesis of the Lissoclinum bistratum natural product, bistramide C. Our synthetic route featured a highly-convergent three-component coupling strategy for the final assembly of the target molecule. In addition, our total synthesis highlighted our MAO-mediated, chiral zirconocene-catalyzed methylalumination of terminal olefins, a tandem BiBr3-initiated cyclization-allylation for the formation of a 2,6-trans-substituted pyran and hypervalent iodine-promoted spiroketalization. The spectroscopic properties (i.e. 1H and 13C NMR, [alpha]D, CD) of the synthetic material were in very close agreement to the measurements of an authentic sample of the natural product. Thus, our synthetic efforts in conjunction with NMR methodology and chiroptical tools culminated in the first total synthesis of (+)-bistramide C.