Expedient route to the tigliane-daphnane skeleton via oxonium ylide [1,2]-shift.

A short, stereoselective approach to the fused tricyclic carbon skeleton found in the tigliane and daphnane classes of diterpene natural products is described. Convergent coupling of the A- and C-rings, followed by diastereoselective cerium enolate addition and formation of a double acetal set the stage for generation of an oxonium ylide via a transient metallocarbene. An efficient Stevens [1,2]-shift furnished the 7-membered B-ring, possessing the bridgehead oxygenation pattern found in the natural systems.