A simple and efficient synthesis of the naphthoate moiety of neocarzinostatin chromophore

Total synthesis and related studies of large, strained, and bioactive natural products

Our chemical syntheses and related scientific investigations of natural products with complex architectures and powerful biological activities are described, focusing on the very large 3 nm-long polycyclic ethers called the ciguatoxins, highly strained and labile chromoprotein antitumor antibiotics featuring nine-membered enediyne cores, and extremely potent anthelmintic macrolides called the avermectins.

Synthesis of substituted resorcinol monomethyl ethers from 2-bromo-3-methoxycyclohex-2-en-1-ones

2-Bromo-3-methoxycyclohex-2-en-1-ones are readily alkylated at C-6 with reactive halides, and then treatment with DBU (2 equiv) in PhMe at room temperature results in smooth loss of bromide and aromatization to resorcinol monomethyl ethers of defined substitution pattern.