An overview of the recent synthetic studies toward penifulvins and other fenestranes

Abstract

Complex natural products provide a useful template for the construction of novel molecular scaffolds of biological as well as theoretical interest. In this regard, fenestranes have emerged as a challenging target for organic chemists. The existence of the planarized distortion of the central quaternary carbon in fenestranes away from its standard tetrahedral bond angle makes their synthesis a daunting task. In this review, an attempt has been made to capture the essence of some recent synthetic studies toward these molecules with an emphasis on penifulvins, the first [5.5.5.6]dioxafenestrane.