Total synthesis and conformational study of ovalifoliolatin B

Abstract The diaryletherheptanoid natural product, ovalifoliolatin B, was synthesized. The synthesis features a regioselective reduction of a conjugated dienone and an intramolecular Ullmann etherification. The conformation of the natural product was studied by dynamic NMR methods and by x-ray crystallography. Although the natural product structure is strained, it has a relatively low barrier for interconversion of enantiomeric conformations.