Total Synthesis of (+)-Brefeldin A

The total synthesis of (+)-brefeldin A has been accomplished via 15 linear steps in a 7.9% overall yield from the known Weinreb amide 6. The key parts of this approach include the stereoselective construction of the cis-disubstituted hydroxycyclopentane skeleton and the direct introduction of the C1-C3 acrylate moiety using a new variant of a trans-vinylogous acyl anion equivalent.