Efficient Method for the Synthesis of Tectorigenin

Abstract Tectorigenin, isolated from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis, shows a wide variety of biological activities. The interest in its biological activities has been matched by a corresponding interest in its synthesis. We herein reported a convenient synthesis of tectorigenin in good yield. The starting material, 2,4,6‐trihydroxyanisole, gave the intermediate 2,4,4′,6‐tetrahydroxy‐3‐methoxydeoxybenzoin by a Hoesch reaction with 4‐hydroxyphenylacetonitrile. The intermediate was then reacted with methanesulfonyl chloride to produce a mixture of tectorigenin and Ψ‐tectorigenin. Purification of tectorigenin was unnecessary at this stage as Ψ‐tectorigenin in the mixture was isomerized to tectorigenin by refluxing in n‐BuOH in the presence of K2CO3.