Synlett 2008(3): 313-324  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1032060
ACCOUNT
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

New Strategies for the Synthesis of Hexahydropyrroloindole Alkaloids Inspired by Biosynthetic Hypotheses

Michael A. Schmidt, Mohammad Movassaghi*
Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue 18-292, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
Fax: +1(617)2521504; e-Mail: movassag@mit.edu;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 28 October 2007
Publication Date:
16 January 2008 (online)

Abstract

This account concerns synthetic studies of dimeric hexahydropyrroloindole alkaloids.

1 Introduction

2 A Biosynthetic Hypothesis for Calycanthaceous Alkaloids

3 Background

3.1 Prior Synthetic Studies of Calycanthaceous Alkaloids

3.2 Overman’s Enantioselective Syntheses of Chimonanthine

4 Our Work on the Syntheses of Hexahydropyrroloindole Alkaloids

4.1 Early Synthetic Studies of Chimonanthine

4.2 Development of a Cobalt(I)-Promoted Reductive Dimerization Strategy

4.3 New Directions and Our Biosynthetic Hypothesis for Dimeric Indole Alkaloids

5 Conclusion