Total syntheses of anticancer Abietane Diterpenoids, (±)-Royleanone and (±)-Inuroyleanol via Lewis acid catalyzed Hydroarylation

Herein we report a Lewis acid-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation strategy enabling an efficient synthesis of [6,6,6]-fused abietane diterpenoids sharing a trans-decalin motif. Using bismuth(III) triflate as an efficient metal triflate, the key intermediates were prepared in high yields, facilitating concise total syntheses of royleanone (1a) and inuroyleanone (1c), showcasing a scalable approach to complex natural product frameworks.