A concise and efficient total synhesis of (+)- and (-)-trypargine (6 steps and 38% overall yield), a 1-substituted β-carboline guanidine alkaloid isolated from the skin of the African frog K. senegalensis, was developed based on the construction of the β-carboline moiety via Bischler-Napieralski reaction and the enantioselective reduction of the dihydro-β-carboline intermediate via an asymmetric transfer hydrogenation reaction using Noyori's protocol.
trypargine; tetrahydro β-carboline alkaloid; Bischler-Napieralski reaction; Noyori asymmetric transfer hydrogenation
