of 11 to tf 2 o dmap gave tetraacetate 12 61 which was isolated and proved identical to the compound prepared by keck u03b1 d nmr tlc treatment of 12 with naoch 3 smoothly generated 1 in 72 yield whose properties matched those reported in the literature paulsen and stubbe 1983 nmr u03b1 d 25 78 5 u00b0 co 75 dmf lit paulsen and stubbe 1983 u03b1 d 20 82 6 u00b0 c 1 1 dmf the synthesis of 1 was thus accomplished in nine steps from aziridine 3 in an overall yield of 2 6 this approach solved adequately the problem of benzamide manipulation encountered during earlier synthesis of pancratistatin tian et al 1995 the following example illustrates the total asymmetric synthesis of 7 deoxypancratistatin 1 starting from 6 bromo 3 5 cyclohexadiene 1 2 diol via scheme 2 using a novel carbomethoxyaziridine for an overall yield of 3 0 following reduction to yield 7 the synthesis proceeds as in scheme 1 to circumvent the problems associated with the manipulations of benzamide which plagued earlier efforts toward pancratistatin tian et al 1995 this scheme cyclized the amide in 1 in the last step of the synthesis n buli 1 94 m in hexane 10 ml was added to a solution of 6 bromo 1 3 benzodioxol 16 6 mmol in thf 65 ml at 78 u00b0 c the reaction mixture was stirred for 40 min at 78 u00b0 c and cucn 744 mg 8 3 mmol was added after stirring at 78 u00b0 c for 1 h a solution of aziridine 3 1 27g 3 95 mmol in thf 10.