Formal Total Syntheses of (−)- and (+)-Actinophyllic Acid

The formal total syntheses of (−)-actinophyllic acid and its enantiomer starting from the same chiral intermediate are reported. The synthesis features a photoredox organocatalytic asymmetric alkylation to generate the original C15 chirality, a photocatalytic C–H functionalization of 3-methylindole in flow for constructing the C16 all-carbon quaternary center, a regioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, and an intramolecular Henry reaction to assemble the pentacyclic core of the target molecule.