Total Synthesis of the Anticancer Marine Natural Product Mycalol

This communication describes a synthetic study of the originally proposed structure of mycalol ( 1 ) and the total synthesis of the actual structure of the anticancer marine natural product mycalol ( 2 ). The total synthesis of the originally proposed structure of mycalol ( 1 ) was targeted by a late‐stage asymmetric dihydroxylation, which resulted in an inseparable mixture of diastereomers. Thus a new strategy was developed for the total synthesis of the revised structure of mycalol ( 2 ); all the stereocentres except the C‐2′‐OH were created in an asymmetric fashion by using a Maruoka allylation, a Noyori asymmetric reduction, and an asymmetric alkynylation.