The alkaloids chelerythrine (8b) and decarine (74 have been synthesized through a benzyne-mediated cyclization of N-(2-halobenzyl)-l-naphthylamines 4 with KNHz in a" onia/ether. The 7-hydroxybenzo [c] phenanthridine structure 16a proposed for the alkaloid fagaridine is questioned on the basis of comparison with a model compound (16b) synthesized by benzyne cyclization. For the 8, 9-oxygenated alkaloids like nitidine (89, ...
