Enantioselective total synthesis of FD-891.

The enantioselective synthesis of FD-891 has been achieved with a longest linear sequence of 21 steps. The synthetic strategy involves the use of aldol additions of a chlorotitanium enolate of N-acylthiazolidinethiones as the key reaction to establish 6 of the 10 stereogenic centers. A key cross-metathesis and a late-stage Julia olefination serve to assemble three key subunits.