Biomimetic total synthesis of (±)-yezo'otogirin A.

The total synthesis of yezo'otogirin A has been achieved via a biosynthetically-inspired strategy. Diastereoselective synthesis of pre-yezo'otogirin A, the proposed biosynthetic pre-cursor of yezo'otogirin A, was accomplished in eight steps from 3-ethoxy-2-cyclohexenone. A biomimetic oxidative radical cyclization was then used to construct the unique tricyclic ring system of yezo'otogirin A. The synthesis showcases the ability of biomimetic radical cyclizations to generate complex natural products from unprotected intermediates.