A Unified Synthetic Approach to Optically Pure Curvularin-Type Metabolites.

A unified and concise approach to the synthesis of nine curvularin-type metabolites and two analogues has been developed with few steps and high yields. Among them, sumalactones A-D were synthesized for the first time. The key steps in this approach included esterification, Friedel-Crafts acylation, and ring-closing metathesis (or cross metathesis).