This paper is dedicated to Prof. Christopher T. Walsh on the occasion of his retirement in 2013.
Abstract
A concise and versatile synthesis of both cis and trans diastereomers of the natural products artemone, hydroxydavanone, isodavanone, and nordavanone has been accomplished. The preparation of trans-davanone is also described. Each synthesis is six to eight steps from geranyl acetate, with differentiation between cis and trans products occurring through a diastereoselective cyclization prior to derivatization. Many of these compounds are minor components of davana oil and have now been synthesized for the first time.
Key words
davanone - terpenoids - total synthesis - stereoselective synthesis - green chemistry - asymmetric allylic O-alkylation