G. Kalaus et al., SYNTHESIS OF VINCA ALKALOIDS AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS .73. SYNTHESIS ANDRING TRANSFORMATIONS OF DEETHYLASPIDOSPERMANE DERIVATIVES - SYNTHESISOF (-20-DEETHYL-3-OXOTABERSONINE()), Liebigs Annalen, (7), 1995, pp. 1245-1251
The reaction of the key compound 14 with methyl 4-formyl-butanoate (9)
or with 5-benzoyloxypentanal (13) gave the D-seco-aspidospermane deri
vatives 17 and 18, respectively. Compound 17 was indirectly and 18 was
directly converted to (+/-)-20-deethylvincadiffonnine (7) and (+/-)-2
0-deethyl-20-epivincadifformine (8). Epimerization occurred in both ca
ses. The thioxo compound 23 was used for the synthesis of (+/-)-20-dee
thyltabersonine (28) and (+/-)-20-deethyl-3-oxotabersonine (27). Oxida
tive ring transformation of the (+/-)-20-deethylvincadifformine (7) ga
ve (+/-)-16-deethylapovincamine (29).