Total Synthesis of Grifolin, Grifolic Acid, LL-Z1272α, LL-Z1272β, and Ilicicolinic Acid A.

A novel synthetic approach for the synthesis of bioactive phenolic natural products is reported. This strategy highlights the power of halogenative aromatization reactions recently developed in our group for preparing densely functionalized arenes in a controlled fashion. Five natural products related by an aromatic core and a farnesyl side chain are synthesized. In contrast to prior methods, this synthesis features high efficiency and generality that permits preparation of targets in gram-scale quantities.