Defense Date

8-29-2024

Graduation Date

Winter 12-20-2024

Availability

One-year Embargo

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Chemistry and Biochemistry

School

School of Science and Engineering

Committee Chair

Thomas D. Montgomery

Committee Member

Jeffrey D. Evanseck

Committee Member

Paul A. Lummis

Committee Member

Kevin J. Tidgewell

Keywords

Total Synthesis, Method Development, Cycloadditions, Natural Product Synthesis, Heterocyclic Compounds

Abstract

Nitrogen-containing heterocycles are ubiquitous in bioactive molecules, pharmaceutical drugs, and natural products. For this reason, finding new and efficient ways to make such compounds remains a high priority for the organic and medicinal community. Our current endeavors build upon previously established work by our group, where we generated 1,2-diamines by coupling commercially available aldehydes with trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in two steps. This route proved to be effective in generating 20+ novel 1,2-diamines and imidazolidines with a demonstrated ability to undergo transformations. Using this chemistry, we have developed a diastereoselective synthesis of 50+ novel 7-azanorbornanes using tertiary amine N-oxides and substituted alkenes. The 7-azanorbornane core is found in the natural product epibatidine, a non-opioid analgesic that demonstrates potency four times greater than morphine. Our method uses an efficient [3 + 2] cycloaddition, starting from either commercially available or easily accessible precursors to generate yields up to 97% and diastereomeric ratios up to > 20:1. To complement our synthetic work, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed, suggesting that the observed diastereoselectivity is likely due to steric considerations. Additionally, chrysosporazines are a family of newly isolated natural products that have demonstrated an ability to reverse chemotherapeutic resistance in cancer cell lines. To date, the chrysosporazines are only produced by the Chrysosporium sp. fungus found within an Australian Mugil mullet fish’s gastrointestinal tract, thus limiting future studies. Herein, we report the first total synthetic route towards chrysosporazine D following a convergent strategy using a palladium-catalyzed cyclization to generate the piperazine core motif. This 14-step route is flexible, enabling chrysosporazine E to also be synthesized with slight modification.

Language

English

Available for download on Saturday, January 31, 2026

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