Divergent Enantioselective Synthesis of (Nor)illudalane Sesquiterpenes via Pd⁰‑Catalyzed Asymmetric C(sp³)–H Activation

A divergent enantioselective synthesis of (nor)­illudalane sesquiterpenes was designed by using a Pd⁰-catalyzed asymmetric C­(sp³)–H arylation as a key step to control the isolated, highly symmetric quaternary stereocenter of the target molecules. A matched combination of chiral substrate and catalyst proved optimal to reach good levels of stereoselectivity. This approach enabled the synthesis of three (nor)­illudalanes, including (S)-deliquinone and (S)-russujaponol F, which are synthesized for the first time in enantioenriched form.