Synthesis of the Strychnos Alkaloid (−)‐Strychnopivotine and Confirmation of its Absolute Configuration

The first enantioselective synthesis of (?)‐strychnopivotine from a known and inexpensive phenol has been achieved in 15 steps. The strategy is based on a new diastereoselective aza‐Michael‐enol‐ether cascade desymmetrization of a dienone, guided by a removable lactic acid‐derived chiral auxiliary. Synthesis involves a phenol dearomatization, a conjugated silicon addition, a stereoselective double reductive amination, and two Heck‐type carbopalladations as key steps. The absolute configuration of the natural compound, which, to date, has been uncertain, was confirmed by using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and X‐ray analyses.