Ti(Oi-Pr)4-promoted photoenolization Diels-Alder reaction to construct polycyclic rings and its synthetic applications.

Stereoselective construction of polycyclic rings with all-carbon quaternary centers, and vicinal all-carbon quaternary stereocenters, remains a significant challenge in organic synthesis. These structures can be found in a wide range of polycyclic natural products and drug molecules. Here we report a Ti(Oi-Pr)4-promoted photoenolization/Diels-Alder (PEDA) reaction to construct hydroanthracenol and related polycyclic rings bearing all-carbon quaternary centers. This photolysis proceeds under mild conditions and generates a variety of photo-cycloaddition products in good reaction efficiency and stereoselectivity (48 examples), and has been successfully used in the construction of core skeleton of oncocalyxones, tetracycline and pleurotin. It also provides a reliable method for the late-stage modification of natural products bearing enone groups, such as steroids. The total synthesis of oncocalyxone B was successfully achieved using this PEDA approach.Anthracenols with multiple chiral centres are common motifs in natural products. Here, the authors show a highly stereoselective photoenolization/Diels-Alder methodology involving a key Lewis acid reagent enabling the efficient construction of a family of anthracenol derivatives with quaternary centers.