An efficient total synthesis of the racemic forms of the novel tricyclic sesquiterpenes a-cubebene (1) and 8-cubebene (2) is described. The key step of this synthesis involved the cupric sulfate catalyzed intramolecular cyclization of the olefinic diazoketone 3, which produced, in high yield, (+)-8-cubebene norketone (24) and (f )-l,6-epi-p-cubebene norketone (25), in a ratio of approximately 3:5, respectively.