Concerning the synthesis of the tedanolide C(13)-C(23) fragment via anti-aldol reaction.

Synthesis of C(13)-C(23) aldehyde 4, an important intermediate in a planned total synthesis of tedanolide, is described. The stereoselectivity of the key anti-aldol reaction of aldehyde 5 and ketone 6 (en route to 4) perfectly tracks the enantiomeric purity of 5. It is demonstrated that aldehyde 24, a precursor of 5, undergoes facile epimerization during a Swern oxidation and stabilized ylide olefination sequence.