Intramolecular Heck reaction strategy for the synthesis of functionalised tetrahydroanthracenes: a facile formal total synthesis of the linear abietane diterpene, umbrosone

Rapid annulation employing an intramolecular Heck reaction yielded the functionalised 1,1,10-trimethyl-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroanthracene 4a, a key intermediate for the linear diterpenoid quinone umbrosone (1), and the related compounds 4b–d. A similar strategy was also successfully adopted for the synthesis of the 9-methyl tetrahydroanthracene ester 5 and the tetrahydrodibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene ester 6.