Alternative total synthesis of (+)-aspicilin

The total synthesis of an 18-membered polyhydroxylated macrolide (+)-Aspicilin was accomplished starting from commercially available enantiopure propylene oxide and D-(+)-gluconolactone by asymmetric synthetic approach. The key reactions involved are Witttig reaction, Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation, and Yamaguchi macrolactonization. [GRAPHICS] .