An asymmetric synthesis of the diterpenoid 17-deoxyprovidencin is described. Key steps include an aldol addition, a base-catalyzed Wipf-type furan formation, a Z-selective ring-closing metathesis for macrocyclization, a photochemical E/Z isomerization to a highly strained and conformationally restricted ring system, and the stereoselective formation of two epoxides on the ring.
Keywords: furanocembranoids; macrocycles; metathesis; photoisomerization; total synthesis.
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