Novel Synthetic Method for Muscone

Abstract

Muscone is a precious fragrant compound scarce in nature. Many attempts to synthesize this unique natural product have been carried out. In this work, a novel synthetic method for the preparation of muscone from 3‐methyl‐15‐hydroxypentadecanoate is provided. Benzimidazolium salt was used as tetrahydrofolate coenzyme model at formic acid oxidation level and Grignard reagent as nucleophile to which a one‐carbon unit was transferred. The biomimetic synthesis of muscone was successfully accomplished using the addition‐hydrolysis reaction of benzimidazolium salt with the Grignard reagent.

Keywords:

• Benzimidazolium salt
• biomimetic synthesis
• Grignard reagent
• muscone
• 3‐methyl‐15‐hydroxypentadecanoate

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20472067).