An Efficient and Rapid Synthetic Route to Biologically Interesting Pyranochalcone Natural Products

An efficient and concise total synthesis of naturally occurring pyranochalcones was achieved from readily available 2,4-dihydroxyacetophenone and 2,4-dihydroxy-6-methoxyacetophenone. The key steps in the synthetic strategy were ethylenediamine diacetate-catalyzed benzopyran formation and aldol reactions.