New synthetic methods towards the synthesis of taxanes.

This thesis is a continuation of previous work done in the Jenkins group to produce taxanes from glucose. The reactions investigated by R. Bonnert and J. Howarth are improved upon to enable the large scale synthesis of the diol (1). After the successful protection of (1) with two tert-butyldiphenylsilyl protecting groups the benzylidene ring was opened by bromination with N-bromosuccinimide. This compound then underwent fragmentation with zinc metal to open the acetal ring and yield the highly functionalised key intermediate chiral cyclohexane (2). This aldehyde was then reduced with sodium borohydride and protected with a triethylsilyl group. The alkene side chain underwent ozonolysis cleanly followed by the addition of lithium-2,2,3,3-tetramethyl-bromocyclopropane. The cyclopropane addition was improved upon by the addition of cerium trichloride. Compounds (3) were isolated from this reaction and a series of studies were done to test the viability of these compounds to undergo further reactions, in particular to rearrange to give dienes. Compounds with bromine in were found to rearrange and those with chlorine in did not. It is believed that most of this work was done with compounds containing chlorine, although at the time this was not realised. Detailed spectroscopic studies verified the stereostructures as those desired for taxanes at the key chiral centres. Alternative sugar routes were also considered and this work gave rise to a new Robinson reaction on a carbohydrate, to give compound (4). Unfortunately this compound was found to have the wrong stereostructure for the synthesis of taxanes from it.