The direct arylation of N-substituted-4-hydroxy-2-pyridones with aryl boronic acids has been achieved under palladium catalysis. The mild reaction conditions applied in this method and the use of a conventional catalytic system offer an attractive protocol for the efficient synthesis of a variety of 3-arylated products.

A non-natural hydroxy-elemane was found amenable to divergent transformations, producing either polyunsaturated guaianes under basic, oxygen-free conditions, or oxidized furogermacranes when anionic oxy-Cope reaction quenched by an oxidant is employed. Based on these findings, the first total syntheses of zedoarol and gweicurculactone are reported.

The development of a divergent scaffold able to access an array of diverse natural sesquiterpenoids is described. The route unifies the scope of previously reported plans of our group to...

A common enyne scaffold, resembling the structures of natural elemanes was found to be an excellent substrate for highly regioselective cycloisomerizations to produce diverse cyclopropane sesquiterpenoids. Platinum-catalysis was utilized to produce either lindenane or myliol cores, found in natural products, starting from enyne acetate 10 and its corresponding allene 12 respectively. Based on this concept, a second generation strategy allows the formal synthesis of sarcandralactone A.