Synthesis of Functionalized Cyclic Boronates

Deprotonation of a simple borylated allylic sulfone and subsequent alkylation with certain unsaturated electrophiles provide substrates that are easily converted into functionalized alkenyl boronates with ring sizes from five- to seven-membered. A Chan-Lam reaction on one such substrate afforded an alkoxyallylic sulfone that was readily converted via a (4 + 3)-cycloaddition to a polycycle possessing the ABC ring substructure of ingenol.