Stereocontrolled Total Synthesis of Bastimolide B Using Iterative Homologation of Boronic Esters

Abstract

Bastimolide B is a polyhydroxy macrolide isolated from marine cyanobacteria displaying antimalarial activity. It features a dense array of hydroxylated stereogenic centers with 1,5-relationships along a hydrocarbon chain. These 1,5-polyols represent a particularly challenging motif for synthesis, as the remote position of the stereocenters hampers stereocontrol. Herein, we present a strategy for 1,5-polyol stereocontrolled synthesis based on iterative boronic ester homologation with enantiopure magnesium carbenoids. By merging boronic ester homologation and transition-metal-catalyzed alkene hydroboration and diboration, the acyclic backbone of bastimolide B was rapidly assembled from readily available building blocks with full control over the remote stereocenters, enabling the total synthesis to be completed in 16 steps (LLS).