Biomimetic total synthesis of ()-galanthamine intramolecular anodic aryl-phenol coupling

(−)-Galanthamine as a drug for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease has attracted synthetic chemists for decades. However, previous total synthetic and biomimetic approaches often use stoichiometric oxidants (metal oxidants or hypervalent iodine) to prepare the target product. Anodic oxidative coupling offers a sustainable alternative method which is, for the first time, successfully applied to the total synthesis of (−)-galanthamine. We report a new asymmetric total synthesis of ()-galanthamine by using an anodic aryl-phenol coupling as the key synthetic step. Flow electrolysis enables the efficient key coupling step in the total synthesis of (−)-galanthamine.