α‐ and β‐Lipomycin: Total Syntheses by Sequential Stille Couplings and Assignment of the Absolute Configuration of All Stereogenic Centers

40 years ago spectroscopy, derivatization, and degradation revealed the structures of α‐lipomycin and its aglycon β‐lipomycin except for the configurations of their side‐chain stereocenters. We synthesized all relevant β‐lipomycin candidates: the (12R,13S) isomer has the same specific rotational value as the natural product. By the same criterion the (12R,13S)‐configured D ‐digitoxide is identical to α‐lipomycin. We double‐checked our assignments by degrading α‐ and β‐lipomycin to the diesters 33 and 34 and proving their 3D structures synthetically.