The hydroazulene core of the bioactive sesquiterpenoid (−)-dehydrocostus lactone was generated by domino enediyne metathesis. A triple hydroboration/oxidation of the resultant conjugated triene installed three out of four stereogenic centers of the target in a single step. The enantiopure acyclic metathesis substrate was readily available by an asymmetric anti aldol reaction. Masking of the γ-lactone as an acetal allowed for an efficient completion of the synthesis through late-stage double carbonyl olefination.

Relay metathesis enabled an improved access from (S)-citronellal to the marine trisnorguaiane (-)-clavukerin A. This hydroazulene was applied as an advantageously functionalized building block for the asymmetric synthesis of the sesquiterpene lactone osmitopsin and the proposed structure of 4,5-epoxyosmitopsin using a chemo-, regio-, and diastereoselective diepoxide opening as the key step.

Dedicated to Professor Barry Trost on the occasion of his 80th birthdayAn efficient total synthesis of the sesquiterpenoid (À )-dehydrocostus lactone is reported. Our earlier approach by a domino enediyne metathesis was extended by a domino dienyne metathesis strategy to give access to suitably functionalized hydroazulene cores. Highly stereoselective asymmetric anti aldol reactions provided the enantiopure substrates for this key step of our synthesis. Multiple hydroboration/oxidation of the resulting hydroazulenes set up three out of four stereogenic centers in a single step. First, oxidation to give a diketo-γlactone enabled an enantioselective formal synthesis of the target guaianolide. Subsequently, the final steps of this approach were improved by using a double carbonyl olefination at the stage of a masked γ-butyrolactone, which completed the synthesis in a much more efficient way.