Abstract The total synthesis of the bacterial-derived, pentacyclic, antitumor antibiotic lavendamycin has been achieved through a highly convergent strategy. The key step of this synthesis is a ruthenium-catalyzed [2+ 2+ 2] cycloaddition of an electron-deficient nitrile to an alkynyl-ynamide to prepare the carboline scaffold. The elaborate cycloaddition substrate is obtained in few steps by an N-ethynylation using alkynyliodonium salt chemistry and ...
[Dantas De Araujo, Aline; Christensen, Caspar; Buchardt, Jens; Kent, Stephen B. H.; Alewood, Paul F. Chemistry - A European Journal, 2011 , vol. 17, # 50 p. 13983 - 13986]