Enantio- and diastereo-controlled synthesis of (+)-juvabione employing organocatalytic desymmetrization and photoinduced fragmentation.

(+)-Juvabione, a natural sesquiterpene exhibiting insect juvenile hormone activity, has been synthesized from sigma-symmetric 4-(2-formyl-ethyl)cyclohexanone by employing organocatalytic asymmetric aldolization and Norrish I-type fragmentation as the key steps.