Abstract
The isolation and structure elucidation of an alcohol from the air-dried Hawaiian alga Laurencia nidifica, was reported in 1976.1 Unassailable evidence for its identity as 3-methyl-5-(2,3,6-trimethylphenyl)-1-penten-3-01 (1), has been supplied by two syntheses, starting from 5,8-dimethyl-1-tetralone2 and from 2,6,6-trimethyl-2,4-cyclohexadienone,3 respectively. We now wish to describe our approach toward this interesting sesquiterpene.