“…104 A very efficient alkylation of a lithiated N,N-dimethylhydrazone of a chiral ketone (33, R 2 ) Me, R 1 ) CH 2 CH(Me)-CH(O(TBS))CH 2 O(PMB)) followed by spiroketal formation under acidic conditions was also used in a short synthesis of the 6,6-spiroketal fragments 38 and 39 useful for synthesis of the antifungal antibiotics spirofungins A and B. 105 Another alkylation reaction of the lithiated N,N-dimethylhydrazones of elaborate methyl ketones 33 (R 1 ) H, R 2 ) chiral O-protected substituted trihydroxynonyl) with suitable, protected iodide 40 afforded linear spiroketal intermediates. After functional group adjustment, these advanced intermediates were cyclized to their respective spiroketals 41 (R ) H, R ) Me), which constituted subunits in the asymmetric synthesis of the macrolide antibiotics (+)-rutamycin B and (+)-oligomycin.…”