A six-step total synthesis of α-thujone and d6-α-thujone, enabling facile access to isotopically labelled metabolites.

The short synthesis of α-thujone relies on the functionalization of the readily available dimethylfulvene. Furthermore, the three main metabolites of the natural product were also synthesized. Since d6-acetone can be used as a starting material, the route developed allows for the facile incorporation of isotopic labels which are required for detecting and quantifying trace amounts via GC/MS analysis.