Enantio- and diastereocontrolled synthesis of (+)-juvabione employing organocatalytic desymmetrisation and photoinduced fragmentation

(+)-Juvabione, a natural sesquiterpene exhibiting insect juvenile hormone activity, has been synthesized from sigma-symmetric 4-(2-formylethyl) cyclohexanone by employing organocatalytic asymmetric aldolisation and Norrish I-type fragmentation as the key steps.