Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.121, No.23, 5467-5480, 1999
Enantiodivergent total syntheses of (+)- and (-)-scopadulcic acid A
The first enantioselective total synthesis of scopadulcic acid A is described. The key step is a cascade intramolecular Heck reaction of a methylenecycloheptene iodide, which generates the B, C, and D rings of the scopadulan ring system in 90% yield as a single stereoisomer. A distinctive feature of these syntheses is the use of stereoselective enolization to dictate which enantiomer of the natural product is produced.