Unified syntheses of cavicularin and riccardin C: addressing the synthesis of an arene adopting a boat configuration.

Concise syntheses of the natural products cavicularin (ten steps) and riccardin C (seven steps) are reported. Key features of the new synthetic route are a convergent strategy to assemble acyclic precursors and a sequence of regioselective reduction and halogenation steps to facilitate Wittig macrocyclisation and transannular ring contraction reactions.

Effect of sulfide structure on enantioselectivity in catalytic asymmetric epoxidation of aldehydes: mechanistic insights and implications.

Bridged bicyclic sulfide 1 was originally found to provide high levels of asymmetric induction in sulfur ylide-mediated epoxidations. This sulfide possesses chirality in the [2.2.