Synthesis of (+)-ribostamycin by catalytic, enantioselective hydroamination of benzene

Aminoglycosides (AGs) represent a large group of pseudoglycoside natural products in which several different sugar moieties are harnessed to an aminocyclitol core. AGs constitute a major class of antibiotics that target the prokaryotic ribosome of many problematic pathogens. Hundreds of AGs have been isolated to date, with 1,3-diaminocyclohexanetriol, known as 2-deoxystreptamine (2-DOS), being the most abundant aglycon core. However, due to their diverse and complex architectures, all AG-based drugs are either natural substances or analogues prepared by late-stage modifications. Synthetic approaches to AGs are rare and lengthy; most studies involve semisynthetic reunion of modified fragments. Here we report a bottom-up chemical synthesis of the 2-DOS-based AG antibiotic ribostamycin, which proceeds in ten linear operations from benzene. A key enabling transformation involves a copper-catalysed, enantioselective, dearomative hydroamination, which sets the stage for the rapid and selective introduction of the remaining 2-DOS heteroatom functionality. This work demonstrates how the combination of a tailored, dearomative logic and strategic use of subsequent olefin functionalizations can provide practical and concise access to the AG class of compounds.