Conversion of Artemisinin to Artemisitene

Abstract

Artemisinin [1], a potent antimalarial sesquiterpene endoperoxide, was converted via a photochemical route to its dehydro analogue, artemisitene [5]. The structure and stereochemistry of the hydroperoxide intermediate 4, produced by the action of1O2 on the enol ether 3, were established by X-ray crystallographic analysis. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.