Total Synthesis of (−)-Thallusin: Utilization of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Resolution

(−)-Thallusin, isolated from a marine bacterium, is the only known natural product to act as an algal morphogenesis inducer. Because (−)-thallusin can only be obtained in exceedingly limited amounts from microbial cultivation, a synthetic supply of this compound is highly desirable. Here, we describe a novel synthetic pathway to (±)-thallusin and the first asymmetric synthesis of (−)-thallusin utilizing the enzymatic hydrolysis resolution with the combination of lipase PS-30 and lipase M Amamo-10.