Formal synthesis of (±)-sedamine through gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular dehydrative amination of sulfamate esters tethered to allylic alcohols

[Display omitted] •A concise formal synthesis of (±)-sedamine is described.•Gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular dehydrative amination is the key step.•Cyclic sulfamidate as a key synthetic intermediate.•N-Homoallylation and ring-closing metathesis used to construct piperidine ring.•A versatile synthetic strategy for 2-(2-hydroxyalkyl)-piperidine alkaloids. A concise formal synthesis of (±)-sedamine has been accomplished. The synthesis is straightforward and demonstrates high efficiency. Key steps involve gold(I)-catalyzed cyclization of sulfamate esters tethered to allylic alcohols, sulfamate N-alkylation, and ring-closing metathesis.