Synthesis of the Cyanobacterial Antibiotics Anaephenes A and B

The first syntheses of the antibacterial natural products anaephenes A () and B () are reported. Both natural products were synthesized in five linear steps from commercially available -butyl(3-iodophenoxy)dimethylsilane. Key steps for the synthesis included a Sonogashira cross-coupling and a Julia-Kocienski olefination to selectively construct the -alkene present in the natural products. This synthetic route allowed the identities and antimicrobial activities of anaephenes A () and B () to be confirmed. Additionally, these compounds displayed antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant (MRSA) with MIC values of 16 and 8 μg/mL, respectively.