Synthesis of (±)-Aureol by Bioinspired Rearrangements

A bioinspired and sustainable procedure for the straightforward synthesis of (±)-aureol has been achieved in eight steps (14% overall yield) from epoxyfarnesol. The key steps are the titanocene­(III)-catalyzed radical cascade cyclization of an epoxyfarnesol derivative and a biosynthetically inspired sequence of 1,2-hydride and methyl shifts