A Morita-Baylis-Hillman adduct allows the diastereoselective synthesis of styryl lactones

We disclosed herein a diastereoselective approach for the total syntheses of (±)-Leiocarpin A and (±)-Goniodiol. These biologically active styryl lactones were obtained from a common intermediate, prepared in five steps and 40% overall yield, using a simple synthetic sequence starting from a Morita-Baylis-Hillman adduct. The total syntheses of these styryl lactones were accomplished in nine steps. This is the first report on the total synthesis of this class of natural products starting from Morita-Baylis-Hillman adduct.