The total synthesis of (-)-nitidasin

Nitidasin is a pentacyclic sesterterpenoid with a rare 5-8-6-5 carbon skeleton that was isolated from the Peruvian folk medicine " Hercampuri". It belongs to a small class of sesterterpenoids that feature an isopropyl trans-hydrindane moiety fused to a variety of other ring systems. As a first installment of our general approach toward these natural products, we report the total synthesis of the title compound. Our stereoselective, convergent route involves the addition of a complex alkenyl lithium compound to a trans-hydrindanone, followed by chemoselective epoxidation, ring-closing olefin metathesis, and redox adjustment.