Studies towards the total synthesis of (−)-borrelidin: a strategy for the construction of the C11–C15 cyanodiene fragment and the utility of RCM for macrocyclization using model systems

We report here a methodology for the construction of a conjugated cyanodiene synthon and the propensity of such synthons to participate in the olefin metathesis reaction. To this end, we have developed a strategy for the construction of the C11–C15 fragment of borrelidin and demonstrated the utility of the RCM reaction in the preparation of the final macrolide. To our knowledge, this is the first example of a RCM with a nitrile functionality on a diene.