Total synthesis of (+/-)-cordypyridones A and B and related epimers.

Efficient racemic synthesis of two antibacterial and antimalarial natural products, cordypyridones A and B, was achieved from inexpensive, commercially available starting materials in an overall yield of 15% (8% and 7%, respectively). This convergent synthesis utilizes a key coupling step of two fragments and the subsequent functional group transformations lead to the target compounds and their 8-epi-analogues.