Evolution of a strategy for total synthesis of the marine fungal alkaloid (±)-communesin F

A new synthetic strategy for construction of the heptacyclic marine fungal alkaloid (±)-communesin F has been devised. Key reactions include an intramolecular Heck cyclization of a tetrasubstituted alkene to generate a tetracyclic enamide bearing one of the quaternary carbon centers (C7) of the alkaloid, an intramolecular reductive cyclization of an N-Boc aniline onto the oxindole moiety to form a pentacyclic framework containing the southern aminal, a stereoselective N-Boc-lactam enolate C-allylation to introduce the second quaternary carbon center (C8), and an azide reduction/N-Boc-lactam-opening cascade leading to the northern aminal.