An elegant synthesis of Zetaclausenamide.
Zetaclausenamide, which was isolated as a hepatoprotective agent from the leaves of medicinal plant Clausena lansium, was synthesized for the first time in six steps including Darzen's condensation, photoisomerization, and the final cyclization reactions.
A Synthetic Strategy toward Eight-Membered Cyclic Amines by Cycloetherification and Claisen Rearrangement.
Eight-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycles were straightforwardly produced by a nickel-catalyzed cycloetherification and subsequent Claisen rearrangement of secondary and tertiary alcohols. In particular, a one-pot transformation was achieved with tertiary alcohols in moderate to good yields. This operationally simple reaction is tolerant of many functional groups and applicable to the synthesis of various medium-sized ring nitrogen-containing heterocycles.
Archaeology and mud wall decay in a West African village
Abstract A detailed study of the processes of deterioration of mud walls and of the physical evolution and devolution of a contemporary West African village is seen to facilitate the location of decayed mud structures at a nearby archaeological site. Various climatic and pedological conditions at the site make it unlikely that such walls will be discerned. The archaeologist wishing to obtain the fullest and least biased picture of the settlement configuration of the ancient community should therefore heed all the inferential lessons to be had from a focused ethnographic investigation. Given similar climatic situations and practices of house construction, taphonomy and ethnographic analogies may both be necessary for a valid reconstruction of an archaeological settlement.