Synthesis and absolute configuration of (-)-3-butyl-7-hydroxyphthalide, a cytotoxic metabolite of Penicillium vulpinum

Both the enantiomers as well as the racemate of 3-butyl-7-hydroxyphthalide (1) were synthesized, and the absolute configuration of the naturally occurring (-)-1 (a weakly cytotoxic metabolite of Penicillium vulpinum) was identified as S.