Total Synthesis of (−)‐Spirangien A,an Antimitotic Polyketide Isolated from the Myxobacterium Sorangium Cellulosum

A stereocontrolled total synthesis of the cytotoxic spiroacetal‐containing polyketide (?)‐spirangien A is described. This utilizes an aldol‐based strategy to construct a common stereotetrad intermediate that was elaborated into the spiroacetal core, followed by the introduction of the unstable pentaene‐containing side chain, performed with exclusion of light, using sequential Stille cross‐coupling reactions.