An efficient synthesis of oosporein

Fungal metabolite oosporein was prepared in four steps and 24% overall yield starting from 2,5-dimethoxytoluene. It was demonstrated that treatment of phoenicin with pyrrolidine and copper(II) acetate led to oosporein, whereas similar treatment of the isomeric ‘isophoenicin’ produced a benzofuran diquinone. No chromatography was required during any step of the synthesis.