Total synthesis of dolabelide C: a phosphate-mediated approach

The first synthesis of dolabelide C (1), a cytotoxic marine macrolide, is reported utilizing a phosphate tether-mediated approach. Bicyclic phosphates (S,S,S(P))-5 and (R,R,R(P))-5 serve as the central building blocks for the construction of two major 1,3-anti-diol subunits in 1 through selective cleavage pathways, regioselective olefin reduction, and cross-metathesis. Overall, phosphate-mediated processes provided copious amounts of both major subunits allowing for a detailed RCM macrocyclization study to the 24-membered macrolactone 1.