Minimal fluorous tagging strategy that enables the synthesis of the complete stereoisomer library of SCH725674 macrolactones.

Four mixtures of four fluorous-tagged quasiisomers have been synthesized, demixed, and detagged to make all 16 stereoisomers of the macrocyclic lactone natural product Sch725674. A new bare-minimum tagging pattern needs only two tags--one fluorous and one nonfluorous--to encode four isomers. The structure of Sch725674 is assigned as (5R,6S,8R,14R,E)-5,6,8-trihydroxy-14-pentyloxacyclotetradec-3-en-2-one. Various comparisons of spectra of 32 lactones (16 with tags, 16 without) and 16 ester precursors (8 with tags, 8 without) provide insights into when and why related compounds have the same or different spectra.