First stereoselective synthesis of synargentolide A and revision of absolute stereochemistry

The first stereoselective total synthesis of synargentolide A isolated from Syncolostemon argenteus has been achieved from commercially available (R)-benzyl glycidyl ether using Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation and cross-metathesis reactions as the key steps. Comparing the spectral data of the synthesized and naturally occurring synargentolide A, the C4′ and C6′- stereogenic centers of the natural synargentolide A were assigned a corrected anti relationship.