Catalytic Asymmetric Polyene Cyclization of Homofarnesol to Ambrox: A Challenging Synthetic Transformation Achieved
Chemists have achieved a diastereoselective and enantioselective synthesis of the valuable natural product (−)-ambrox and (+)-sclareolide through a catalytic asymmetric polyene cyclization using a highly Brønsted-acidic and confined imidodiphosphorimidate catalyst in the presence of fluorinated alcohols.