“…The synthesis of the model mononaphthol‐ketide 29 / 30 thus represents an 8‐deoxybisdithioketal‐protected form of our synthetic goal and so the essential framework of the first target analogue molecule 2b had been achieved. Unfortunately, though, and to our frustration, the protecting groups could not be removed without destruction of the molecule, notwithstanding the use of a large variety of different cleaving reagents,42–44 and so this approach, although successful for the construction of the carbon skeleton of 2b , had to be abandoned at this stage to allow us to pursue alternative routes.…”