Total Synthesis of dl-Febrifugine and dl-Isoferifugine

Abstract

Racemic compounds (1 and 2) of the antimalarial agents febrifugine (d-1) and isofebrilugine (d-2) were synthesized using an unusual Claisen rearrangement of allyl enol ether (7) and the stereoselective reduction of 2-allyl-3-piperidone (8). This method is widely applicable to the synthesis of derivatives needed to study the structure-activity relationship of febrifugine.