A convenient synthesis of (+)-albicanol based on enzymatic function: total syntheses of (+)-albicanyl acetate, (-)-albicanyl 3,4-dihydroxycinnamate, (-)-drimenol, (-)-drimenin and (-)-ambrox

By using lipase 'PL-266' from Alcaligenes sp. enantioselective acetylation of (+/-)-albicanol 4 with isopropenyl acetate gave the enantiomerically pure (+)-albicanyl acetate 3 and (+)-albicanol 4. Deprotection of (+)-3 afforded the natural (+)-albicanol 4 which was converted to the natural products (-)-albicanyl 3,4-dihydroxycinnamate 7, (-)-drimenol 8, (-)-drimenin 9 and (-)-ambrox 10. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.