Divergent Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (+)-Vincadifformine, (−)-Quebrachamine, (+)-Aspidospermidine, (−)-Aspidospermine, (−)-Pyrifolidine, and Related Natural Products

A uniformly strategic total synthesis of Aspidosperma alkaloids (+)-vincadifformine, (−)-quebrachamine, (+)-aspidospermidine, (−)-aspidospermine, (−)-pyrifolidine, and nine others from efficiently constructed tricyclic ketone 13 is reported. Highlights of these divergent and practical syntheses include (i) stereoselective intermolecular [4 + 2] cycloaddition to establish a C–E ring with one all-carbon quaternary stereocenter (C-5) and two bridged contiguous cis-stereocenters (C-12 and C-19), (ii) a Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation/deprotection/amidation cascade process to assemble the D ring, and (iii) Fischer indolization to forge the A–B ring.