Total Syntheses of Scabrolide B, Ineleganolide, and Related Norcembranoids.

Concise total syntheses of several 5/7/6 norcembranoids, including ineleganolide, scabrolide B, sinuscalide C, and fragilolide A have been achieved through a fragment coupling/ring closure approach. The central seven-membered ring was forged through sequential Mukaiyama-Michael/aldol reactions using norcarvone and a decorated bicyclic lactone incorporating a latent electrophile. Subsequent manipulations installed the reactive enedione motif and delivered scabrolide B in 11 steps from a chiral pool-derived enone. Finally, ineleganolide, sinuscalide C, and fragilolide A were each accessed in one additional step.