Two markedly simplified synthetic approaches towards peniolactol, the metabolite of wood-attacking fungus Peniophora sanguinea are being reported. The key step involves the achievement of direct oxidation of the ortho-formyl ketones (3 & 6) using sodium chlorite-sulfamic acid. The pre requisite o-formyl ketones (3) and (6) were prepared by the vilsmeier formylation of dimethoxy ketone (2) and orthoformate formylation of the dihydroxy ketone (5) respectively.


N H RAMA ,I HUSSAIN ,A SAEED ,