Progress Toward the Total Synthesis of Formicamycin H

The type II polyketide formicamycin H is a complex pentacyclic molecule possessing a tetracyclic core and an element of axial chirality. Our synthetic strategy highlights a recently developed [4+2] cycloaddition developed by the Krische laboratory for a convergent synthesis of the natural product, which, to date, has no previously reported synthesis. Our progress toward formicamycin H is described.