Ring-Expansion Approaches for the Total Synthesis of Salimabromide

We describe the evolution of a synthetic strategy for the construction of the marine polyketide salimabromide. Combining a bicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-one ring-expansion to build up a functionalized naphthalene and an unprecedented rearrangement/cyclization cascade, enabled synthesis of a dearomatized tricyclic subunit of the target compound. Alternatively, an intramolecular ketiminium [2+2]-cycloaddition and subsequent Baeyer-Villiger ring-expansion gave access to the sterically encumbered architecture of salimabromide. Sequential oxidation of the carbon framework finally enabled the total synthesis of this unusual natural product.