Studies for the synthesis of xenicane diterpenes. A stereocontrolled total synthesis of 4-hydroxydictyolactone.

The stereocontrolled total synthesis of 4-hydroxydictyolactone (4), a member of the xenicane diterpene family of natural products, is described. These studies feature the development of the B-alkyl Suzuki cross-coupling reaction for direct access to (E)-cyclononenes from acyclic precursors. The Ireland-Claisen rearrangement is effectively utilized to establish the backbone asymmetry of the contiguous C(2), C(3), C(10) stereotriad of 4. The synthesis strategy has devised an intramolecular Nozaki-Hiyama reductive allylation of a formate ester for the stereoselective formation of five-membered lactols 22. In addition, an internally directed S(E)' propargylation using allenylmagnesium bromide is described to establish the stereochemistry of the C(4) alcohol in 27, and the terminal alkyne is subsequently functionalized via a regioselective syn-silylstannylation to yield 30. Finally, the stereocontrolled phenylselenylation of the ester enolate derived from 43 leads to the desired syn-oxidative elimination to yield the natural product 4.