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[reaction: see text] Two key intermediates of the newly discovered mevalonate-independent pathway for isoprenoid biosynthesis were prepared. Optically pure 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate and 2,4-cyclodiphosphate were chemically synthesized from D-arabitol using a convenient benzylidene and tert-butyldimethylsilyl protection of polyhydroxylated intermediates. The new scheme offers a straightforward route to analogues and labeled forms.

The enantiomeric 2-azapinanes, aza analogues of the pinyl carbocation intermediates in pinene biosynthesis, were synthesized from (-)- and (+)-cis-pinonic acids. The individual reactions in the 5-step sequence were Beckmann rearrangement of the pinonic acid oximes, cyclization to the N-acetyl lactams, hydrolysis to the NH-lactams, N-methylations, and LiAlH(4) reductions. The anti stereochemistry of the N-methyl groups in the salts with respect to the gem-dimethyl bridge was established by NOE measurements and by X-ray diffraction analysis.

The synthetic correlation between two different antibiotic frameworks, the beta-lactams and 2-oxazolidinones, is described for the first time. In this approach, 2-oxazolidinones are prepared in stereomerically pure form from 3-hydroxy beta-lactams by a ring-opening-cyclization isomerization process. Application of this methodology to the total synthesis of the cytokine modulator, (-)-cytoxazone, and its three stereoisomers is demonstrated. [reaction: see text].

[reaction: see text]The structure and relative stereochemistry of the novel silphiperfolane-type sesquiterpene cameroonan-7alpha-ol (1) were confirmed by a total synthesis of (+/-)-1 from 3,3,5-trimethylbicyclo[3.3.0]oct-1(8)-en-2-one (6) by means of a Sakurai reaction with (Z)-crotylsilane, free radical hydrobromination, base-induced cyclization, and LiAlH4 reduction.

[reaction: see text] Syntheses and enzymatic cyclizations of 8alpha-hydroxy-17-nor copalyl diphosphate (8a), (15R)-[15-2H1] 8b, and (15R,17E)-[15-3H1,17-2H1] copalyl diphosphate ([2H,3H] 2) catalyzed by recombinant abietadiene synthase (rAS) gave 17-nor manoyl oxide (9a), (16E)-[16-2H1] 9b, and (15S,16R)-[16-2H1,16-3H1] abietadiene ([2H1,3H1] 4), respectively. These and other results indicate that conversion of CPP (2) to abietadiene (4) occurs by anti S(N)' cyclization to a sandaracopimar-15-en-8-yl carbocation intermediate (13+, 13beta-methyl) followed by hydrogen transfer and methyl migration suprafacially on the si face of the vinyl group.