Synthèse stéréosélective de pipéridines et activation électrophile chimiosélective d’amides en présence de dérivés de la pyridine

The importance of natural products in the development of new drugs is undeniable. Unfortunately, the isolation and purification of those products from their natural sources provides normally very small amounts of the desired bioactive molecules. Consequently there is largely limited access to in-depth biological studies and/or to the large scale distribution of the bioactive compound. For example, the piperidine family contains a large diversity of bioactive compounds isolated from natural sources in very limited quantities (on the order of milligram scale). To address the issue, we have developed three new divergent synthetic approaches towards polysubstituted piperidines containing an activation/dearomatization sequence from a chiral and enantioenchired pyridinium salt. The first approach aims towards the synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted piperidines by the use of an intermolecular arylation reaction on 2-substituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyridines. Then, we have developed a synthetic method for indolizidines and quinolizidines starting from secondary amides. The second approach leads to the formal synthesis of non-natural alkaloids via a highly diastereoselective and regioselective addition/cyclization from a common pyridinium intermediate. Finally, we have found a new approach for the synthesis of 2,6-disubstituted piperidines by the use of a directed lithiation sequence followed by either a Negishi cross-coupling reaction or a quench with an electrophilic reagent. The development of highly chemoselective and versatile transformations are crucial to organic chemists. We have issued the hypothesis that it could be possible to apply the chemoselectivity concept towards the functionalization of amides, one of the most encountered subunits in the structures of natural products. In the specific context of the thesis, the highly chemoselective transformations are realized on functionalized secondary amides. The method relies on the activation of the carbonyl function of the amide by triflic anhydride in presence of a weak base. Firstly, the activated amide can be selectively reduced to imine, aldehyde, or amine oxidation state in the presence of a poorly nucleophilic hydride source. Alternatively, a carbon nucleophile could also be employed in order to allow the synthesis of ketones or ketimines. By combining an amide with a pyridine derivative a cyclization/dehydration reaction was used for the synthesis of polysubstituted imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines. Moreover, we have briefly applied the activation conditions to the interrupted Beckmann rearrangement of ketoximes. We have finally developed a new synthetic pathway for iodoalkynes by using a one-pot homologation/elimination reaction from commercially available benzylic and allylic bromides. The present method is distinctively different from literature precedents by the simplicity of the reaction procedures and purifications which were optimized in order to be applied to large scale synthesis

Keyphrases: Pyridine, amide, heterocycle, reduction, chemoselectivity, cyclization, electrophilic activation, Beckmann rearrangement, homologation/elimination