Enantioselective Approaches to The Bisabosqual Meroterpenoids Enabled by N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Catalysis: Total Synthesis of (–)-Bisabosqual F

About half the worlds medicines are directly inspired by natural molecules. This thesis examines new ways to synthesise a group of molecules known as the bisabosquals. These molecules are produced naturally by moulds and have interesting biological properties. Full evaluation of their potential use as medicines requires a synthetic synthesis to be developed. In this work, the bisabosquals are synthesized in their entirely natural form for the first time. The thesis also serves to showcase organic catalysis–a pillar of modern chemistry–to uniquely and efficiently construct the complex target molecules.