Hypophosphite mediated carbon–carbon bond formation: total synthesis of epialboatrin and structural revision of alboatrin

1-Ethylpiperidine hypophosphite (1-EPHP) has been used in the key radical-cyclisation step in a 6-step synthesis of the phytotoxic metabolite alboatrin and its epimer from orcinol. The synthesis demonstrates that the stereochemistry of the structure initially proposed for alboatrin requires revision.