H-DL-Phe(2-Me)-OH

The purpose of the study is to design synthetic methodologies, especially directed deprotometalation using polar organometallic reagents, to access polysubstituted ferrocenesulfoxides. From enantiopure 2-substituted (SiMe3, PPh2) S-tert-butylferrocenesulfoxides, a third substituent was first introduced at the 5 position (SiMe3, I, D, C(OH)Ph2, Me, PPh2, CH2NMe2, F) and removal of the trimethylsilyl group then afforded 2-substituted ferrocenesulfoxides unreachable otherwise. Attempts to apply the "halogen dance" reaction to the ferrocenesulfoxide series led to unexpected results although rationalized in light of calculated pKa values. Further functionalizations were also possible. Thus, new enantiopure, planar chiral di- and trisubstituted ferrocenes have been obtained, in addition to several original 2-substituted, 2,3- and 2,5-disubstituted, 2,3,5-trisubstituted and even 2,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted ferrocenesulfoxides, also enantiopure.

Alloviroidin is a cyclic heptapeptide, produced by several species of Amanita mushrooms, that demonstrates high affinity for F-actin as is characteristic of virotoxins and phallotoxins. Alloviroidin was synthesized via a [3 + 4] fragment condensation of Fmoc-d-Thr(OTBS)-d-Ser(OTBS)-(2 S,3 R,4 R)-DHPro(OTBS)2-OH and H-Ala-Trp(2-SO2Me)-(2 S,4 S)-DHLeu(5-OTBS)-Val-OMe to form bond A. The linear heptapeptide favored a turn conformation, facilitating cyclization between Val1 and d-Thr2 (position B). Global deprotection and HPLC purification afforded alloviroidin with NMR spectra in excellent agreement with the natural product.

The room temperature reactions with internal alkynes, RCCR, of the μ-allenyl acetonitrile complex [Ru2Cp2(CO)2(NCMe){μ-η1:η2-C1HC2C3Me2}]BF4 (1-NCMe), freshly prepared from the tricarbonyl precursor [Ru2Cp2(CO)3{μ-η1:η2-C1HC2C3Me2}]BF4, 1, proceeded with alkyne insertion into ruthenium-allenyl bond and allenyl-CO coupling, affording compounds [Ru2Cp2(CO)2{μ-η2:η5-C(R)C(R)C1HC2(C3MeCH2)C(OH)}]BF4 (R = Ph, 2; R = CO2Me, 3; R = CO2Et, 4) in 83-94% yields. Deprotonation of 2-4 by triethylamine gave [Ru2Cp2(CO)2{μ-η2:η5-C(R)C(R)CHC(CMeCH2)C(O)}] (R = Ph, 5; R = CO2Me, 6; R = CO2Et, 7) in 75-88% yields, and 2-4 could be recovered upon HBF4·Et2O addition to 5-7. All the products, 2-7, were fully characterized by elemental analysis, IR and multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. The structure of 2 was ascertained by single crystal X-ray diffraction and investigated by DFT calculations, revealing a six-membered ruthenacycle with Shannon aromaticity index in line with related compounds. The formation of ruthenium-coordinated ruthenabenzenes from a preexistent diruthenium scaffold is a versatile but underdeveloped approach exploiting cooperative effects typical of a dimetallic core.