Enantioselective total synthesis and X-ray structures of the tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloids (-)-(S)-tetrahydropalmatrubine and (-)-(S)-corytenchine.

Enantioselective total syntheses and X-ray structures of both (S)-tetrahydropalmatrubine (2) and (S)-corytenchine (3) are reported for the first time. They were both derived from (S)-N-norlaudanidine, a benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline that was synthesized with high (>95% ee) enantioselectivity using a chiral auxiliary-assisted Bischler-Napieralski cyclization/reduction approach.