Formal Total Synthesis of Pericoannosin A

A concise formal total synthesis of pericoannosin A, by the synthesis of an advanced intermediate of pericoannosin A, was achieved in eight steps from commercially available isoprene in a 21.7% overall yield. Key transformations for this expedited route include an enantioselective organocatalytic Diels-Alder reaction to construct the C ring, a diastereoselective reduction (under Felkin-Ahn control), and a hydroboration/oxidation sequence for chain homologation. This work represents the second synthetic effort toward pericoannosin A, the only reported natural product based on a hexahydro-1H-isochromen-5-isobutylpyrrolidin-2-one core.