Enzymatic kinetic resolution of primary allenic alcohols. Application to the total synthesis and stereochemical assignment of striatisporolide A

Crude Porcine pancreatic lipase was successfully used for the kinetic resolution of axially chiral primary allenic alcohols providing very high enantioselectivities with E values above 200. This simple access to optically active allenes was applied to the total synthesis of the fungal metabolite (-)-striatisporolide A, allowing its unambiguous stereochemical assignment.