Total Synthesis of Macrolactin A with Versatile Catalytic,Enantioselective Dienolate Aldol Addition Reactions

A highly convergent total synthesis of macrolactin A ( 1 ) utilizes modern asymmetric catalytic C–C coupling methods. The longest linear sequence in the route is 16 steps with an average yield of 86% per step. This total synthesis is valuable, because 1 , which has been shown to possess activity against HIV, is not readily accessible from its natural source, a taxonomically unclassified deep-sea bacterium.