Total Synthesis of (+)-Aspidospermidine

Abstract

A facile asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-aspidospermidine has been developed, which is accomplished in 11 steps in an overall yield of 9.6%. Key steps involve a palladium-catalyzed enantioselective decarboxylative allylation to install the quaternary carbon stereocenter and a highly efficient reductive amination–carbonyl reduction–dehydration–intramolecular conjugate addition cascade to build the cis D-ring.