JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS, cilt.77, sa.9, ss.2134-2137, 2014 (SCI-Expanded)
The Wittig reaction of 3-isopropyl-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 2,3-dimethylbenzylphosphonium bromide afforded the corresponding stilbene mixture 16. Oxidative photocyclization of stilbene 16 with iodine facilitated the first total synthesis of 7-isopropyl-6-methoxy-1,2-dimethylphenanthrene, multicaulin (1). The O-demethylation of 1 with BBr3 afforded the 7-isopropyl-1,2-dimethylphenanthren-6-ol, O-demethylmulticaulin (2).