Hughes and Gleason's Virosaine A-Appreciating the Art in Synthesis.
Bryan D EllisChristopher D VanderwalPublished in: Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) (2017)
The synthesis of the Securinega alkaloid virosaine A by Hughes and Gleason is a perfect example of the intersection of art and chemical synthesis. An ingenious cascade reaction builds most of the polycyclic architecture, but necessitates a challenging C-H functionalization, which is ultimately accomplished by an unusual directed lithiation reaction.