Stelletin A

Wing-Keung Liu and co-workers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong have reported in JNP on the isolation of stellettin A.

JNP paper

Manoalide vs. HCV

Nobuyoshi Akimitsu and co-workers from the University of Tokyo have reported on the identification of manoalide A as an inhibitor for heptatitis C virus NS3 helicase.

JNP paper

Waikialoid A looks like stephacidin

Robert Cichewicz and co-workers from the University of Oklahoma have reported in JNP on the isolation of waikialoid from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.

JNP paper

More on oroidin dimers

Tadeusz Molinski and co-workers have reported in JNP on the biosynthesis study of benzoscpetrin C and nagelamide H.

JNP paper

Virosine A synthesis

Guillame Belanger and co-workers from the Univerite de Sherbrooke in Canada have reported in JOC on the synthesis of virosine A.

JOC paper

Anti-HSV flavonoids

Xin-Sheng Yao and co-workers from Jinan University have reported on the isolation of some flavonoids  called houttuynoids A-E with anti-Herpes Simplex virus activity (IC50 ~ 45 micromolar).

OL paper

Oxonium ylide rearrangement mechanism

Michael Doyle and co-workers have reported in Organic Letters on a mechanistic study of an oxonium ylide rearrangement.

OL paper

Strychnine syntheses review

Overman and colleague have reported in ACIE on a review of the literature of the many different ways to make strychnine. Yes it’s true that Woodward originally synthesized this beautiful looking polycycle and that over 50 years later many people are still synthesizing it – one may ask why?  Well if you just compare the efficiencies of the syntheses from decades ago to the current ones, you can see that there is an obvious difference.  From the juxtaposition of the past and present efforts it is clear why synthetic organic chemistry is so important.

Of course that is only one reason why studying organic synthesis is so important.  As my friend LeVar Burton says, “but you don’t have to take my word for it.”

ACIE paper

Cyrneine A synthesis

Karl Gademann and co-workers from the University of Basel have reported in ACIE on the synthesis of cyrneine A.  Looking at the structure – 5,6,7-tricycle – I’d say that Nature knows how to count.

ACIE paper

Synthesis of axinellamine minus chloride

Patrick Harran and co-workers in UCLA have reported in ACIE on the racemic synthesis of axinellamine minus the chloride substituent.

ACIE paper