Applications of the Polonovski Reaction in the Synthesis of Bioactive Opiates

N-Demethylation is an important chemical transformation in the synthesis of a number of pharmaceutical opiates. This project will explore the scope and utility of a new variant of the Polonovski reaction in the preparation of the semi-synthetic pharmaceutical opiates, naloxone and naltrexone. The Polonovski reaction will also be used in a structure-activity study probing the anti-cancer activity of another natural product derived from the opium poppy, noscapine.