Reactivity umpolung in intramolecular ring closure of 3,4-disubstituted butenolides: diastereoselective total synthesis of paeonilide.

Remarkable reactivity reversal stratagem in 3,4-disubstituted butenolides under acidic conditions is described. Design of a suitably substituted multifunctional butenolide followed by an acid-catalyzed chemo- and diastereoselective intramolecular ring closure via the reactivity umpolung has been demonstrated to accomplish a concise total synthesis of paeonilide. Overall, the present protocol involves one-pot reduction of an α,β-unsaturated carbon-carbon double bond and intramolecular nucleophilic insertion of oxygen function at the electron-rich γ-position of butenolide. The involved mechanistic aspects have also been discussed.