Fusarisetin A (1) is a recently isolated natural product that displays an unprecedented chemical motif and remarkable bioactivities as a potent cancer migration inhibitor. We describe here our studies leading to an efficient and scalable total synthesis of 1. Essential to the strategy was the development of a new route for the formation of a trans-decalin moiety of this compound and the applica...

The biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutants is constrained, in part, by their solid physical state and very low water solubility. Searching for ways to overcome these limitations, we isolated from soil a bacterium capable of growing on pyrene as a sole source of carbon and energy. Acid-fast stain, morphology, and fatty acid profile identified it as a Mycobacterium sp. In a ...

In synthesis planning, the goal is to synthesize a target molecule from available starting materials, possibly optimizing costs such as price or environmental impact of the process. Current algorithmic approaches to synthesis planning are usually based on selecting a bond set and finding a single good plan among those induced by it. We demonstrate that synthesis planning can be phrased as a com...

Paper chromatographic techniques have been reported for the separation and identification of steroid compounds related to progesterone and testosterone, in which impregnated filter paper (l-4) and steroid complexes (5, 6) are utilized. After preliminary investigations on the separation of progesterone and its metabolites (7), however, it became apparent that progesterone-like Czl compounds from...

Solavetivone, a potent antifungal phytoalexin, is derived from a vetispirane-type sesquiterpene, premnaspirodiene, by a putative regio- and stereo-specific hydroxylation, followed by a second oxidation to yield the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone. Mechanistically, these reactions could occur via a single, multifunctional cytochrome P450 or some combination of cytochrome P450s and a dehydrogenase....

The short range molecular structure of ogarose in the sol state and r-carrageenans in the gel state have been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (0.1< q(nm'l) < 2.5). Agarose in the sol state possesses a rod-like conformation (minimum persistence length of 14 nm) with a mass per unit length consistent with a single helm The existence of a double helix in the gel state is accordingly...