Total syntheses of the morphine alkaloids are described that use a direct stereoselective formation of the phenanthrofuran system via an intramolecular 4 + 2 cycloaddition of a diene tethered to the 4-position of a 7-methoxybenzofuran-3-carboxylic acid ester.

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The pupal defensive secretion of the coccinellid beetle Epilachna borealis is composed principally of a combinatorial library of macrocyclic polyamines. These compounds constitute a previously unrecognized family of natural products, characterized by extremely large-ring lactonic structures derived from a small set of (2-hydroxyethylamino)alkanoic acids. The combinatorial assembly of these simple building blocks generates a high degree of structural diversity, which is further increased by slow, spontaneous intramolecular rearrangement of the macrocycles.