Total Synthesis of Diazonamide A

Ever since its discovery in 1991, diazonamide A (1) has been eyed by synthetic chemists as a potential target because of its puzzling molecular architecture and potent biological activity. The race to synthesize this intriguing natural product was further complicated at the end of last year when a synthesis was completed only to prove that the originally proposed structure was in error. The new structural assignment (2) required retooling of synthetic strategies toward the new target. A total synthesis of diazonamide A has now been achieved confirming its newly proposed structure.