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Cover Feature: A Formal Synthesis of Camptothecin via a Photocatalytic Decarboxylative Radical Addition (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 35/2019)
Author(s) -
Liu Qian,
Huang Guanxin,
Liu Minjie,
Chen Fener
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european journal of organic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.825
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1099-0690
pISSN - 1434-193X
DOI - 10.1002/ejoc.201901237
Subject(s) - camptothecin , chemistry , cover (algebra) , feature (linguistics) , combinatorial chemistry , photocatalysis , catalysis , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , philosophy , mechanical engineering , linguistics , engineering
The Cover Feature shows a novel strategy for the formal synthesis of camptothecin, which can be isolated from Camptotheca acuminate (also called happy tree) and used as an anti‐cancer agent in traditional Chinese medicine. The key step is a photo‐catalytic decarboxylative radical Michael addition for the efficient construction of the pentacyclic parent core by visible light. As is symbolically illustrated in the cartoon, the shining sunlight can directly transform the ABC rings to the main structure of camptothecin in five steps. This work provides an alternative method for the synthesis of biologically relevant Camptotheca analogues. More information can be found in the Full Paper by F. Chen et al.