New reactivities of deltaline analogs: an efficient O-demethylation at C-1 and an unusual extrusion of the C-14 atom

O-Demethylation at C-1 in the C19-diterpenoid alkaloids is very challenging. In this paper, it was firstly observed that 10-OH group in deltaline (1) is a determining factor for the O-demethylation reaction. After removal of this hydroxyl group, 1-O-methyl group in the corresponding deltaline analogs can be readily removed by treatment with HBr–HOAc. Meanwhile, the C-14 atom in bromides 18 or 20 can be extruded under basic condition probably via a sequence, including Grob fragmentation, aerobic oxidation, deformylation, and SN2 nucleophilic substitution, to give enone 21 (70%) and oxetane 22 (14%). The structure of compound 22 was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis of its derivative 21.