Synthetic approaches to mycelianamide

Abstract

Attempts to synthesize the benzylidene bis-hydroxamic acid system present in mycelianamide (I; R = OH) by direct carbonyl-methylene condensation were unsuccessful. Nycelianamide dimethyl ether (XXIV) is a very unstable substance, which lost one N-methoxyl group as formaldehyde when heated at 77º for 1 hr. Syntheses of compounds closely related to (XXIV) which depended on the