Solandelactones A, B, E, and F were synthesized using Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi coupling of iododiene 13 with aldehydes 14 and 99 obtained by oxidation of alcohols 92 and 94. Key steps in the synthesis of 92 and 94 were (i) a Nagao asymmetric acetate aldol reaction of aldehyde 77 with thionothiazolidine 78 to set in place an alcohol that becomes the (7 S) lactone center of solandelactones, (ii) a Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation of 80 directed by this alcohol, and (iii) Petasis methylenation of cyclic carbonate 90 in tandem with a Claisen rearrangement that generates the octenalactone portion of solandelactones. Synthesis of solandelactones A, B, E, and F confirmed their gross structure and absolute configuration at C7, 8, 10, and 14 but showed that alcohol configuration at C11 must be reversed in pairs, A/B and E/F, from the previous assignment made to these hydroid metabolites. Thus, solandelactones A and B are correctly represented by 2 and 1, respectively, whereas solandelactones E and F are 6 and 5. A biogenesis of solandelactones is proposed for these C 22 oxylipins that parallels a hypothesis put forward previously to explain the origin of C 20 cyclopropane-containing algal products.

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[structure: see text] Two approaches to the synthesis of the aglycon 120 of polycavernoside A (1) were developed, only one of which was completed. The successful "second-generation" route assembled the aglycon seco acids 102 and 106 via Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi coupling of aldehyde 70, prepared from methyl (S)-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate (72) and (S)-pantolactone (73), with vinyl bromide 71. The latter was obtained from a sequence which commenced from the silyl ether 24 of 3-hydroxypropionaldehyde and entailed cyclization of (Z)-zeta-hydroxy-alpha,beta-unsaturated ester 82. Regioselective Yamaguchi lactonization of trihydroxycarboxylic acids 102 and 106 and subsequent functional-group adjustments led to macrolactone 120, to which the fucopyranosylxylopyranoside moiety was attached. Stille coupling of the glycosidated aglycon 128 with dienylstannane 129 furnished polycavernoside A in a synthesis for which the longest linear sequence was 25 steps. The overall yield to lactone 120 was 4.7%.

Asymmetric total syntheses of solandelactones E and F confirmed that hydroxyl configuration at C11 in these oxylipins had been misassigned and that the stereochemistry at this center should be reversed. Key steps in the synthesis involved a Nagao asymmetric acetate aldol reaction, a directed Simmons-Smith cyclopropanation, a Holmes-Claisen rearrangement to establish the unsaturated octalactone, and a Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi coupling to connect two major fragments at C11-C12.

Solvolysis of asymmetric homoallylic triflates bearing a terminal stannyl substituent gives disubstituted cyclopropanes and bicyclopropanes bearing differentiated termini in high enantiopurity.