The chemistry of aurodox and related antibiotics

The studies which led to the complete structure elucidation of the antibiotic aurodox, including the chiralities of all eleven asymmetric centers and the cis–trans isomerism of all seven exocyclic double bonds, are summarized. Aurodox was correlated stereochemically with mocimycin. Thus, aurodox can be described as N-[7-[5(R)-[7-[1,2-dihydro-4-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-oxo-3-pyridinyl]-6-methyl-7-oxo-1(E),3(E),5(E)-heptatrienyl]tetrahydro-3(S),4(R)-dihydroxyfuran-2(S)-yl]-6(S)-methoxy-5,7(R)-dimethyl-2(E),4(E)-heptadienyl]-α(S)-ethyl-5,5-dimethyltetrahydro-2(R),3(R),4(R)-trihydroxy-6(S)-[1(E),3(Z)-pentadienyl]-2H-pyran-2-acetamide. Mocimycin, probably identical with kirromycin, is the corresponding N-desmethyl homolog.