Total synthesis of the marine natural products lukianols A and B

Total synthesis of the pyrrolic marine natural products lukianols A (1) and B (2) has been achieved using N-benzenesulfonyl-3,4-dibromopyrrole (3) as a common starting material. The key synthetic strategy developed is the combined bromine-directed lithiation and palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of 3 to produce 3,4-diarylpyrrol-2-carboxylates. Regioselective iodination of the phenolic intermediate 24 was thoroughly investigated for the synthesis of lukianol B.