Syntheses of perillene and natural congeners via Li2CuCl4-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of allylic carbonates

Perillene is an essential ingredient in a Chinese patent drug and features some fascinating biological activities. We present herein an efficient pathway to perillene that hangs on the cross-coupling reaction of allylic carbonates with furfuryl Grignard reagent catalyzed by Li2CuCl4. The synthetic applications of this transformation were demonstrated by the synthesis of analogical natural products dendrolasin, ambliofuran and thioperillene. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.