Syntheses of the piperolides, the fadyenolides, epoxypiperolide, and related compounds are described.( f ) -Narthogenin is also efficiently produced.From the Mexican plant Piper sanctum' we have previously isolated and characterised piperolide (l),' methylenedioxypiperolide (2),' ( + )-(7S,SS)-epoxypiperolide (3),'-" (-)-erythro-7,8-dihydro-7,8-dihydroxypiperolide (4),5 as well as a possible photoisomerisation product (5E)-piperolide (5),6*7 From Piper fudyenolii, indigenous to Jamaica, we have isolated and characterised similar butenolides, the fadyenolides (6) and (7).'These compounds are of particular interest for two reasons.First they are unique tetronates (derivatives of 4-hydroxybut-3-enolides) derived from higher plants rather than from fungal, microbial, or marine source^.^*^-'^ Secondly some of them, as well as certain of our synthetic products, have strong sedative as well as other most interesting physiological properties.It is tempting to speculate on a New World mutation in Piper species that leads from the usual pyrone derivatives such as kawain (8a)14 and methysticin (8b)14 produced by * We thank Dr. R. Pardasani for these experiments.