Total Synthesis of (±)‐Merrilactone A

An efficient total synthesis of (±)-merrilactone A has been accomplished, featuring: 1) a Johnson–Claisen rearrangement and the subsequent deprotection–lactonization to generate the A ring, 2) an intramolecular hetero-Pauson–Khand reaction to construct the B and D rings, and 3) a vinylogous Mukaiyama–Michael reaction and reductive carbonyl–alkene coupling to assemble the C ring. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.