Synthesis of the C(1)-C(11) polyene fragment of apoptolidin with a new sulfur dioxide-based organic chemistry.

A new sulfur dioxide-based organic chemistry has been developed as a novel approach for the stereoselective synthesis of polyene fragments based on our one-pot, four-component synthesis of polyfunctional epsilon-alkanesulfonyl-gamma,delta-unsaturated ketones. The flexibility and efficiency of this methodology are illustrated by the preparation of (+)-methyl (2E,4E,6E,8R,9S)-9-{[(tert-butyl)dimethylsilyl]oxy}-2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-11-(triethylsilyl)undeca-2,4,6-trien-10-ynoate, a synthetic intermediate of Nicolaou and co-workers, that corresponds to the C(1)-C(11) fragment of apoptolidin, which was used by the authors in their total synthesis of this promising anticancer agent.