Simple Synthesis of Two Naphthoquinone Antibiotics Psychorubrin and Pentalongin

Abstract

1H-Naphtho[2,3-c]pyran-5,10-dione derivatives were synthesized using chloromethylation of substituted-2-naphthylacetic acid as the key step. The utility of this method was demonstrated in the synthesis of two-pyranonaphthoquinone antibiotics psychorubrin (1) and pentalongin (2).

Acknowledgments

VJB thanks LTMT (Mumbai) for financial assistance in the form of Senior Research Fellowship. PSK thanks Director, NCL for allowing to carry out experiments in the laboratory.