Single-Step Construction of the anti-Deoxypropionate Motif from Propylene: Formal Total Synthesis of the Cuticular Hydrocarbons Isolated from Antitrogus parvulus.

Reported herein is the single-step construction of an anti-configured deoxypropionate motif by syndiospecific propylene oligomerization catalyzed by a Cs -symmetric zirconocene complex. After oligomerization, oxidation of the oligomers by oxygen afforded oligopropylene alcohols in a single step. This strategy was applied to the single-step preparation of rel-(2R,4S,6R,8S)-2,4,6,8-tetramethylundecan-1-ol, the racemic mixture of the synthetic fragment of the cuticular hydrocarbons isolated from the cane beetle Antitrogus parvulus.