A new synthesis of tanikolide

We report a concise synthesis of tanikolide 1, which was obtained from ethyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate in four steps: alkylation, Baeyer–Villiger reaction, saponification, and reduction/lactonization, in 70% overall yield. Our strategy should be suitable for the preparation of 1 in multigram or larger quantities. The net result of the last two steps (i.e. saponification and reduction/lactonization) is an efficient reduction of the ethoxycarbonyl of 3 while keeping the lactone carbonyl intact.