The efficient synthesis of (S)-dihydroresorcylide (1a) along with trans-resorcylide dimethyl ether (2b), was achieved in linear 9 steps from commercially available orcinol monohydrate (6) with esterification, carbonylation, and ring-closing metathesis (RCM) as the key steps in the synthetic sequence.

The first total synthesis of prionoid E (1), a rearranged secoabietane diterpene quinone isolated from Salvia prionitis, was achieved efficiently by means of Wacker oxidation (Scheme 5) and aldol condensation (Scheme 7) as the key steps in the synthetic sequence. Thus 1 was prepared in 15 steps in 3.7% yield starting on one hand from anisole (=methoxybenzene) and methylsuccinic anhydride (=dihydro-3-methylfuran-2,5-dione) via4 (Scheme 3 and 5), and on the other hand from 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanoic acid via5 (Scheme 6).