Concise Formal Total Synthesis of Hybocarpone and Related Naturally Occurring Naphthazarins

A concise formal total synthesis of the cytotoxic bisnaphthazarin derivative hybocarpone has been completed through the development of routes to the synthetic precursor, 3-ethyl-2-hydroxy-5,7,8-trimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone. The oxidation of 3-ethyl-1,2,4,5,7,8-hexamethoxy-6-methylnaphthalene under Rapoport conditions gave 3-ethyl-2-hydroxy-5,7,8-trimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone in modest yields after basic hydrolysis. In addition, treatment of 3-ethyl-1,2,4,5,7,8-hexamethoxy-6-methylnaphthalene with boron tribromide provided access to the naturally occurring naphthazarin, boryquinone. The analogous oxidative demethylation of 3,6-dimethyl-1,2,4,5,7,8-hexamethoxynaphthalene and 3-ethyl-1,2,4,5,7,8-hexamethoxynaphthalene resulted in the synthesis of 2,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (aureoquinone) and 3-ethyl-2,5,7,8-tetrahydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, respectively. An alternative selective synthetic route to 3-ethyl-2-hydroxy-5,7,8-trimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone was also developed utilizing an intramolecular Claisen condensation of methyl 2-butyryl-3,5,6-trimethoxy-4-methylphenylacetate with concomitant in situ aerial oxidation.