Synthesis of the C1-C9 fragment of the potent antitumor agent dictyostatin

We describe herein a short and efficient synthesis of the C1-C9 fragment of the potent antitumor agent dictyostatin. Notable features of this approach include a Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation followed by epoxide opening under Myashita's conditions to introduce the stereogenic centers at C6 and C7, and a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons type reaction under Ando's conditions to construct the Z-double bond of the 1,3-(Z,E)-diene system.