Synthesis and structure revision of bifurcarenone, a unique monocyclic diterpene in combination with a hydroquinone C7 unit as an inhibitor of mitotic cell division

Bifurcarenone, a C27 hydroquinone isolated from the brown seaweed Bifurcaria galapagensis, was synthesized as its racemate, and shown to be 2. The structure 1, originally proposed for bifurcarenone, was also synthesized, and found to be different from the natural product.