A highly efficient synthesis of the hydroxylated phenanthridone system is described. The synthesis features the ready preparation of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloid skeleton by a Stille intramolecular Diels-Alder furan cycloaddition cascade. A lithium hydroxide induced fragmentation reaction was used to introduce the required π-bond in ring C.
Stille coupling - amidofuran - Diels-Alder - intramolecular - cascade