Peking University, Dec. 31, 2010: Under the guidance of Prof. Yang Zhen and Li Chuangchuang, PKU PhD candidate Gong Jianxian and his colleagues from School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, PKU Shenzhen Graduate School (PKUSZ), have published their latest achievement titled “Total Synthesis of (±) Maoecrystal V” on Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), a world-leading journal on chemistry.

A concise first total synthesis of (±) maoecrystal V (1) is reported. The synthesis features a Wessely oxidative dearomatization of a phenol, an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction, and a Rh-catalyzed O-H bond insertion as key steps.

"Research Highlights" by Nature, Dec. 16, 2010

It was the first time that Maoecrystal V, the natural product with complicated activity, is totally synthesized. The researchers chose a series of key synthesis strategies, such as a coupling reaction involving Pb, a Rh-catalyzed oxygen-hydrogen (O-H) bond insertion, a Wessely oxidative dearomatization of a phenol, and an intramolecular Diels-Alder (D-A) reaction.

Considering the importance of their research, several international top journals, including the world-renowned Nature, specially recommended the paper in the field of organic synthetic chemistry.

To learn more about Prof. Yang Zhen's research team, “Group Yang,” please visit its homepage.

Translated by: Jin Ludi

Edited by: Jacques

Source: PKU News (Chinese)