Pure and Applied Chemistry

Abstract: Strategies and tactics associated with the total synthesis of hybrid natural products are discussed. The target is ravidomycin (2), one of the gilvocarcin-class antitumor antibiotics with an aryl C-glycoside structure. The first total synthesis of 2, which was achieved along similar lines of that of gilvocarcin V (1), served for the determination of the relative as well as the absolute stereochemistry of 2. Also revealed was a limitation of the synthetic scheme so long as the amino sugar congener was concerned. A preliminary result is discussed on the [2+2+2] approach that relies on the ready availability of various benzocyclobutene derivatives via regioselective [2+2] cycloaddition of α-alkoxybenzynes and ketene silyl acetals.