Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.130, No.27, 8604-8604, 2008
Vinyl quinones as Diels-Alder dienes: Concise synthesis of (-)-halenaquinone
A concise asymmetric synthesis of (-)-halenaquinone is described. The synthesis features a diastereoselective Heck cyclization to set a quaternary center as well as a novel intramolecular inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder reaction I involving a vinyl quinone. The synthesis is highly convergent and features a minimal amount of protecting group manipulations.