The concise and step-economical total syntheses of three hydroxyaurones and one polymethoxyflavone
from readily available starting materials is described. A divergent synthetic strategy
is employed, which centres on a common chalcone scaffold from which both the aurone
and flavone frameworks can be accessed through the use of different oxidative cyclisation
methods. These are the first reported total syntheses of these biologically interesting
compounds.
Key words
flavonoids - hydroxyaurones - chalcones - divergent - total synthesis - natural products
