| abstract |
The invention provides synthetic methods for the preparation of cantharidin and analogs thereof. In one aspect, the invention provides an improved Diels-Alder cycloaddition to generate a key intermediate en route to cantharidin and analogs thereof. In yet another aspect, the invention describes a new palladium-mediated carbonylation providing another key intermediate en route to cantharidin and analogs thereof. In addition to synthetic methods, present invention also provides compounds (i.e., intermediates) useful in the synthesis of cantharidin and analogs thereof. Compounds provided herein may have biological activity, and therefore may be used in the treatment of diseases or conditions (e.g., infectious diseases and skin conditions). |