Macrolide synthesis through intramolecular oxidative cross‐coupling of alkenes

A RhIII‐catalyzed intramolecular oxidative cross‐coupling between double bonds for the synthesis of macrolides is described. Under the optimized reaction conditions, macrocycles containing a diene moiety can be formed in reasonable yields and with excellent chemo‐ and stereoselectivity. This method provides an efficient approach to synthesize macrocyclic compounds containing a 1,3‐conjugated diene structure