J. Nokami et al., CONVENIENT SYNTHESIS OF CYTOTOXIC (11E)-13-HYDROXY-10-OXOOCTADEC-11-ENOIC ACID FROM UNDEC-10-ENOIC ACID, Journal of the Chemical Society. Perkin transactions. I, (20), 1997, pp. 2947-2948
(11E)-13-Hydroxy-10-oxooctadec-11-enoic acid 1 is conveniently synthes
ized via a Knoevenagel-type reaction of isopropyl 11-phenylsulfinyl-10
-oxoundecanoate 2a (itself easily derived from undec-10-enoic acid) wi
th heptanal to form the gamma-hydroxyenone functionality together with
carbon chain elongation.