Total synthesis of (+)-varitriol via a symmetrical furanose diol as the key intermediate

Alternative, simple and efficient route for (+)-varitriol (1), a marine-derived natural product with potent biological activity, has been synthesized from d-ribose. In this synthetic strategy symmetrical diol (6) with mono alcohol protection, the key intermediate, was produced in eight steps with 35% overall yield and the significance of 6 as the key furanoside building block for the synthesis of novel analogues of 1 for SAR studies was explained.