Phenanthridone Alkaloids via Functionalization of 2-Benzyl- 6(5H)-Phenanthridinone

Abstract

Phenanthridone alkaloids, derived from the Amaryllidiceae family of tropical plants, are a group of natural products that have been shown to exhibit biological activity. In recent decades, this group of alkaloids has sparked interest due to their antibiotic, anticancer, and immunosuppressant properties. Because of their limited natural availability, pharmaceutically-active compounds require laboratory syntheses to provide sufficient quantities for testing. Previous work in this laboratory has provided a general method for constructing the phenanthridinone skeleton from homophthalic acid in high yields. In this research project, our work involves the reproduction of these results as well as establishing a general method for functionalization of the non-conjugated alkene in the phenanthridinone skeleton. This research provides the basis for future syntheses of complex alkaloids that show promise in the development of pharmaceutically-active compounds.