Abstract
The synthesis of (+/-)-neuchromenin, a known natural product that induces neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, is described. The total synthesis involved constructing a chromone ring from sesamol and coupling this intermediate to an aldehyde by a Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction (MBH). The MBH adduct was cyclized under acidic conditions followed by removal of a methylene group to afford (+/-)-neuchromenin in 9 steps from sesamol.
Keywords: Neuchromenin, sesamol, fries rearrangement, Baylis-Hillman Reaction.