Stereoconvergent route to chiral cyclohexenone building blocks: formal synthesis of (-)-dysidiolide.

A stereoconvergent access to chiral carbocyclic building blocks is reported. 6-(3'-Hydroxy-4'-methylpent-4'-enyl)-3-methoxy cyclohex-2-enone () that consists of four stereoisomers, i.e., racemic ca. 1 : 1 diastereomers, is converted to enantiomerically pure carbocycles through a combination of regioselective catalytic asymmetric reduction and alkylative remote stereoinduction. The present stereoconvergent strategy has allowed the formal synthesis of bioactive (-)-dysidiolide.