Intramolecular Tricarbonyl-Ene Reactions and α-Hydroxy-β-Diketone Rearrangements Inspired by the Biosynthesis of Polycyclic Polyprenylated Acylphloroglucinols

Abstract

Structurally unique natural products pose biosynthetic puzzles whose solution can inspire new chemical reactions. Herein, we propose a unified biosynthetic pathway towards some complex meroterpenoids—the hyperireflexolides, biyoulactones, hybeanones and hypermonones. This hypothesis led to the discovery of uncatalyzed, intramolecular carbonyl-ene reactions that are spontaneous at room temperature. We also developed an anionic cascade reaction featuring an α-hydroxy-β-diketone rearrangement and an intramolecular aldol reaction to access four distinct natural product scaffolds from a common intermediate.