A convergent approach to the marine natural product eleutherobin: synthesis of key intermediates and attempts to produce the basic skeleton.

Synthesis of (1R,5R,6R)-2-(6-hydroxymethyl-5-isopropyl-2-methylcyclohex-2-enyl)-N- methoxy-N-methylacetamide 8 from R-(-)-phellandrene in six steps, and (3aR*,4S*,6R*,6aS*)- (6-hydroxymethyl-4-methoxy-2,2,6-trimethyltetrahydrofuro[3,4-d][1,3]dioxol- 4-yl)acetic acid methyl ester 17 from tetrabromoacetone and 2-methoxy-5-methylfuran in six steps, provided two key fragments which have been combined to produce intermediates for attempted construction of the basic skeleton of eleutherobin.