Seven-Step Total Synthesis of Sporothriolide.

An enantioselective total synthesis of sporothriolide, a bioactive furofurandione-type fungal metabolite, has been achieved in a 21% overall yield from a commercially available β,γ-unsaturated carboxylic acid via seven steps. The key steps of this synthesis include a highly diastereoselective Michael addition of a chiral oxazolidinone derivative to a nitro olefin, the exploitation of an aromatic ring as a masked carboxylic acid functionality, and the base-promoted elimination of nitrous acid to install the α-methylene lactone unit of sporothriolide in the final step.