Total Synthesis of Asperphenins A and B.

The first total synthesis of asperphenins A and B has been accomplished in a concise, highly stereoselective fashion from commercially available materials (15 steps, 9.7% and 14.2% overall yields, respectively). The convergent route featured the judicious choice of protecting groups, fragment assembly strategy and a late-stage iron-catalyzed Wacker-type selective oxidation of an internal alkene to the corresponding ketone.