Complementary stereocontrolled approaches to 2-pyrrolidinones bearing a vicinal amino diol subunit with three continuous chiral centers: a formal asymmetric synthesis of (-)-detoxinine.

We report herein two stereocomplementary approaches to erythro/trans and threo/cis vicinal amino diol subunits containing 2-pyrrolidinones (9 and 10) starting from the known enamides 7, easily available from malimides. The first approach consists of an epoxidation-reductive dehydroxylation procedure, and the second one is based on hydroboration-oxidation reactions. Using the second method, a formal asymmetric synthesis of (-)-detoxinine was achieved.