A connective approach to the tetrahydropyran subunit of polycavernoside A via a novel 1,1-dianion equivalent

Racemic tetrahydropyran 3 was efficiently synthesised from allylsilane 6 and aldehyde 7 via an intramolecular Sakurai cyclisation. In a single step, the relative configuration of three chiral centres was established. Allylsilane 6 was readily assembled from 1-iodo-1-selenopropene 10, a synthetic equivalent of a propene 1,1-dianion.