The proposed research will allow the development of a new novel method for the synthesis of compounds which contain structural elements with known biological activity. A novel asymmetric nitrogen-centered radical cyclization on to a tethered olefin is proposed. The ability to strategically place a chiral auxiliary directly adjacent to the prochiral radical A or next to the olefin B should allow for a significant amount of asymmetric induction. The proposed method will be developed for the formation of 4 - 6 membered nitrogen containing heterocycles. Most importantly, this new methodology provides an easy route for the synthesis of a large number of analogs of the known therapeutic agents. Also with this new method, one could envision the ability to catalog large numbers of structurally similar compounds to be evaluated for biological activity as well. The ability to synthesize and test these new compounds provides the potential to enhance the already proven activity while minimizing toxic side effects and maintaining therapeutic value. Of particular interest is the synthesis of compounds which display a significant amount of antitumor activity.
