Total Synthesis of Asparenydiol
Total Synthesis of Asparenydiol by Two Sonogashira Cross-Coupling Reactions Promoted by Supported Pd and Cu Catalysts: G. Casotti, G. Fusini, M. Ferreri, L. F. Pardini, C. Evangelisti, G. Angelici, A. Carpita
Synthesis 2020, 52, DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1690852
Asparenydiol is a natural acetylenic compound that was first isolated in 1995 from Asparagus officinalis, and later found in other Asparagus plants. Although this compound has shown a range of interesting pharmacological properties, a more extensive screening is hampered by its low availability, due to difficult extraction from plant sources combined with the laborious and low-yielding synthesis. Recently, the late Prof. Adriano Carpita and co-authors, including Prof. Gaetano Angelici and Dr. Claudio Evangelisti from the University of Pisa (Italy) and CNR (Italy), reported a new, more effective total synthesis of asparenydiol.
Professor Angelici and Dr. Evangelisti said: “The continuing efforts towards the research of more sustainable synthesis, using innovative supported catalysts, enables an easy access to natural compounds with interesting biological activity. It will now be possible to fully uncover the potential of asparenydiol, a molecule that was previously difficult to obtain, but is now available for further studies.”