Tremorgenic indole alkaloids. The total synthesis of (-)-penitrem D

A convergent, stereocontrolled total synthesis of the architecturally complex tremorgenic indole alkaloid (-)-penitrem D (4) has been achieved. Highlights of the synthesis include an efficient, asymmetric synthesis of the western hemisphere; the stereocontrolled assembly of the I-ring; discovery of a novel autoxidation to introduce the C(22) tertiary hydroxyl group, required for tremorgenic activity; union of fully elaborated eastern and western hemispheres, exploiting an indole synthetic protocol developed expressly for this purpose; and a late-stage, stereoselective construction of the A and F rings exploiting a Sc(OTf)(3)-promoted reaction cascade. The longest linear sequence leading to (-)-penitrem D (4) was 43 steps.