Construction the A-B Bicyclic Ring Structure of Stemocurtisine

In this paper, the synthesis of the A-B bicyclic ring structure 3 of the natural product Stemocurtisine is described. The synthesis was accomplished in seven synthetic steps from commercially available L-glutamic acid. The key step involved a borono-Mannich reaction between the hemiaminal 6 and trans-β-styryl boronic acid and trans-β-styrylpotassiumtrifluoroborate to prepare the cis diene 4. Attempts to prepare the A-B-C ring compound 2 via intramolecular epoxide ring opening followed by rearrangement under different basic conditions were unsuccessful. The only unreactive starting material was recovered.