Enantioselective Synthesis of Cyclopentyltetrahydrofuran (Cp-THF), an Important High-Affinity P2-Ligand for HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors.

A convenient optically active synthesis of (3aS,5R,6aR)-5-hydroxy-hexahydrocyclopenta[b]furan, a high-affinity nonpeptidyl ligand for HIV protease inhibitor 2, is described. The synthesis utilizes commercially available (1R,5S)-(+)-2-oxabicyclo[3.3.0]oct-6-en-3-one as the starting material and oxymercuration or bromohydrin reaction as the key step. Enantiopure ligand was converted to protease inhibitor 2.