The synthetic preparation of naturally-occurring aromatase inhibitors, morachalcone A, isogemichalcone B, and isogemichalcone C

A convergent synthesis applicable to the preparation of oxidized prenylchalcones is reported that relies on key Claisen-Schmidt, Mitsunobu, and vinyl/benzyl Stille coupling operations. The synthetic strategy was applied towards the preparation of the natural products morachalcone A and isogemichalcones B & C, allowing their preparation in less than 10 steps and 6-8% overall yield.