Many researchers have sought explanations for the purported tonal superiority of Old Italian violins by investigating varnish and wood properties, plate tuning systems, and the spectral balance of the radiated sound. Nevertheless, the fundamental premise of tonal superiority has been investigated scientifically only once very recently, and results showed a general preference for new violins and...

8β-Hydroxy-9(11),13-abietadien-12-one (1), an abietane diterpenoid and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, was synthesized in six steps from commercially available (+)-dehydroabietylamine (2). We used the hypervalent iodine catalyst phenyliodine dicarboxylate, a safer alternative to toxic organoselenide reagents, for oxidative dearomatization of ferruginol (7) compound 1. Compounds 1 2, as ...