A versatile synthesis of cyclic diphenyl ether-type diarylheptanoids:: Acerogenins, (±)-galeon, and (±)-pterocarine

A versatile method for the total synthesis of cyclic diphenyl ether-type diarylheptanoids, acerogenin C, acerogenin L, (+/-)-galeon, and (+/-)-pterocarine was described. The Ullmann reaction of suitably substituted linear diphenylheptanoids was employed for the intramolecular formation of the key ether intermediates as the final step. The prerequisite diarylheptanoids were prepared by a series of cross-aldol condensation reactions from readily available starting benzaldehydes. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007).