A New Synthetic Route to (±)-Perhydrohistrionicotoxin

Starting from ethyl 2-cyclohexen-1-carboxylate ( 3 ) the total synthesis of the perhydrohistrionicotoxin intermediate 23 was achieved in 25% overall-yield. The two key steps involve a positionally specific addition of HOBr to the oxime-olefin 7 and the alkylation of bromooxime 17 with 1-lithio-1-butyne. The latter represents a novel method for stereospecific and position-specific introduction of a nucleophilic butyl equivalent in α-position to a ketonic carbonyl group.