Asymmetric Synthesis of S-(+)-Argentilactone and S-(-)-Goniothalamin

Abstract

The asymmetric synthesis of an α,β-unsaturated δ-lactone equivalent 8 as a key intermediate towards the total synthesis of a variety of natural products bearing such structural motifs is reported. An enzymatic approach was applied to provide both enantiomers of compound 8 using recLBADH (ee > 99%) and baker's yeast (ee = 94%), respectively. The utility of the intermediate was demonstrated by the total synthesis of the non-natural enantiomers of argentilactone [(S)-1] and goniothalamin [(S)-2].