Functionalisation of artemisinin and its ring-contracted derivatives.

Isoxazoline analogues of artemisinin were obtained in low yield and low diastereoselectivity from the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrile oxides. Alternatively, starting from the aldehyde 7, a number of transformations--Wittig reaction and reduction, Henry reaction and cyanohydrin formation--were achieved in significantly higher yields. In the cases where a new stereocenter was introduced this occurred diastereoselectively.