Total synthesis of ylango sesquiterpenoids: (+)-cis- and (+)-trans-sativenediol, (+)-helminthosporal, (+)-helminthosporol, prehelminthosporal, prehelminthosporal diethyl acetal, (+)-victoxinine, (+)-isosativenediol

Abstract

Oxidation of the previously prepared olefinic alcohol 26 with chromium trioxide – pyridine in dichloromethane containing trifluoroacetic acid gave the tricyclic ketone 29 as the major product. Hydroxylation of the latter, followed by reduction of the resulting α-hydroxy ketone 31, afforded a 1:1 mixture of (+)-cis- (22) and (+)-trans-sativenediol (23). In view of earlier synthetic transformations reported by a number of different researchers, the present work also constitutes formal total syntheses of the enantiomers of the following sesquiterpenoids: (−)-helminthosporal (1), (−)-helminthosporol (2), prehelminthosporal (3), prehelminthosporal diethyl acetal (4), (−)-victoxinine (8), and (−)-isosativenediol (19).