Hypophosphite mediated carbon-carbon bond formation: total synthesis of epialboatrin and structural revision of alboatrin

1-Ethylpiperidine hypophosphite (1-EPHP) has been used in the key radical-c yclisation step in a B-step synthesis of the phytotoxic metabolite alboatri n and its epimer from orcinol. The synthesis demonstrates that the stereoch emistry of the structure initially proposed for alboatrin requires revision .