Org Lett. 2003 Feb; 5(4): 535-7.

Asymmetric total synthesis of the proposed structure of the medicinal alkaloid jamtine using the chiral base approach.

Simpkins NS, Gill CD.

School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom. nigel.simpkins@nottingham.ac.uk

[reaction: see text] A highly step-economic asymmetric synthesis of the tetracyclic structure assigned to the medicinal alkaloid jamtine has been accomplished using a chiral lithium amide base desymmetrization of a ring-fused imide. The structure synthesized appears to be different from that of the natural product originally reported.