Synthetic Studies Directed Towards the Odoriferous Sesquiterpenoid Grimaldone

Progress has been made towards the synthesis of the odoriferous tricyclic sesquiterpenoid grimaldone. A bicyclic intermediate with the necessary functionality to allow construction of the final ring has been synthesised. Unfortunately, attempts to alkylate this intermediate, to set up the necessary carbon skeleton for the construction of the final ring, met with failure. Although alternative methodology could have been used to construct the final ring, the 11 step synthetic route towards this advanced intermediate contained a few inconsistent steps so attention was turned towards devising a shorter route