A new synthesis of the 2,2,3,5,6,6-substituted tetrahydropyran aplysiapyranoid A and its 5-epimer

The vanadium(V)-catalyzed oxidation of bromide in the presence of methyl (E)-2-(1-hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-5-phenyl-4-hexenoate furnished 5,6-trans-5-bromo-6-phenyl-2,2,6-trimethyl-3-methyloxycarbonyltetrahydropyran, which was converted into the marine natural product aplysiapyranoid A and its 5-epimer, via a short sequence of decarboxylative bromination and transition metal-based procedures for transforming a phenyl into a chlorovinyl substituent.