Chemoenzymatic syntheses of the linear triquinane-type sesquiterpenes (+)-hirsutic acid and (−)-complicatic acid

Formal total syntheses of the natural enantiomeric forms of the title sesquiterpenes 1 and 2 have been achieved using, as starting material, the readily available and enantiomerically pure cis-1,2-dihydrocatechol 4 derived from the whole-cell biotransformation of toluene.