Efficient Access to (All-rac)-α-Tocopherol Acetate by a Crombie Chromene Synthesis

In contrast to reports in the literature, the pyridine-catalysed condensation of phenolic compounds and conjugated aldehydes to chromenes was found to be applicable to trimethylhydroquinone 2a with the result of complementary convergent approaches to the title acetate using citral 3a and dihydromyrcene 9 as precursors of the phytyl residue.