A highly diastereoselective synthesis of methyl pederate (2) is descri
bed. A critical feature of the successful route is the introduction of
the key C(7)-stereocenter at the stage of 4 via an enantioselective,
syn-selective aldol reaction of aldehyde 5 and the chiral acyl oxazoli
dinone 6. Aldehyde 5, in turn, was prepared from the readily available
aldol derivative 7 via a chelate-controlled reaction with allyltrimet
hylsilane. Intermediate 4 was elaborated to 2 via the intermediacy of
7-O-(3,4-dimethoxybenzyl)pederic acid (3), an intermediate in Kishi's
syntheses of mycalamides A and B and onnamide A, by way of methyl pyra
noside 10 and the fully protected pederic acid derivative 11.