Enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-diversonol.

For the synthesis of (-)-diversonol (ent-1), an enantioselective domino-Wacker/carbonylation/methoxylation reaction and an enantioselective Wacker oxidation were used to give the chroman in high yield and 96% and 93% ee, respectively. Dihydroxylation at the vinyl moiety using the Sharpless procedure and a Wittig-Horner reaction followed by hydrogenation, benzylic oxidation, and an intramolecular acylation provided the tetrahydroxanthenone, from which ent-1 is accessible in a few steps. Furthermore, the synthesis of the diastereomeric diversonol rac-1,9a-epi-diversonol (rac-41) is also described.