Enantioselective synthesis of epi-emetine analogues: Control of the facial selectivity in a three-component domino Knoevenagel-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction

Abstract

The domino Knoevenagel-hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of the aldehyde rac-8, Meldrum's acid 2 and enol ether 3 leads to the cycloadduct rac-17 as the main product which in a second domino process was transformed into the benzoisoquinolizidine rac-18 by solvolysis, hydrogenolysis, condensation and hydrogenation; rac-18 was used as a substrate for the synthesis of the two diastereomeric epiemetine analogues 9 and 10 with > 96% ee (9) and 80% ee (10), respectively, by condensation with the phenylethylamine 23, Bischler-Napieralski reaction and "enantioselective" hydrogenation using the chiral catalyst (R,R)-26.