Chemoselective cross metathesis of bishomoallylic alcohols: rapid access to fragment a of the cryptophycins.

[reaction: see text] The racemic or enantioselective allylation of in situ formed beta,gamma-unsaturated aldehydes provides efficient access to bishomoallylic alcohols from readily available 2-vinyloxiranes. These products, when subjected to modified Grubbs cross metathesis conditions, afforded terminally homologated products in moderate to good yields with high E selectivity and without degradation of the enantiomeric excess. The compounds obtained through this two-step sequence yield fragments of an important and pharmacologically active family of cryptophycins.