Total Synthesis of Ecteinascidin 743

A straightforward synthesis of ecteinascidin 743 was accomplished from readily available l-glutamic acid as a single chiral source. Our novel synthesis features a concise and convergent approach for construction of the B-ring, consisting of a sequence involving a stereoselective Heck reaction between a diazonium salt and an enamide, oxidative cleavage of the resulting alkene, and intramolecular ortho substitution of the phenol by an aldehyde.