A stereocontrolled approach for the synthesis of 2,5-diaryl-3,4-disubstituted furano lignans through a highly diastereoselective aldol condensation of an ester enolate with an α-chiral center: total syntheses of (−)-talaumidin and (−)-virgatusin

A general stereocontrolled approach for entry into a family of highly biologically active 2,5-diaryl-3,4-disubstituted furano lignans has been developed. The key step involves a diastereoselective aldol-type condensation of an ester enolate having an α-chiral center with an aromatic aldehyde. The methodology has been illustrated with the total syntheses of (−)-talaumidin and (−)-virgatusin.