Hang Shi, Ceheng Tan, Weibin Zhang, Zichun Zhang, Rong Long, Jianxian Gong, Tuoping Luo*, and Zhen Yang*
Meliacarpin-type limonoids are an important class of organic insecticides. Their syntheses are challenging due to their chemical complexity. Here, we report the highly enantio- and diastereoselective synthesis of the left fragments of azadirachtin I and 1-cinnamoylmelianolone, being two important family members of meliacarpin-type limonoids, via pairwise palladium- and gold-catalyzed cascade reactions. Gold-catalyzed reactions of 1,7-diynes were performed as model studies, and the efficient construction of tetracyclic late-stage intermediates was achieved on the basis of this key transformation. Our unique route gave both of the left fragments in 23 steps from the commercially available chiral starting material (−)-carvone. This study significantly advances research on the synthesis of the meliacarpin-type limonoids.
