A convenient synthesis of (+)- albicanol based on enzymatic function: total syntheses of (+)-albicanyl acetate,(-)- albicanyl 3,4-dihydroxycinnamate, (-)-drimenol, (-)-drimenin and (-)-ambrox Tetrahedron Asymmetry 11:1375-1388

By using lipase ‘PL-266’ from Alcaligenes sp. enantioselective acetylation of (±)-albicanol 4 with isopropenyl acetate gave the enantiomerically pure (+)-albicanyl acetate 3 and (+)-albicanol 4. Deprotection of (+)-3 afforded the natural (+)-albicanol 4 which was converted to the natural products (−)-albicanyl 3,4-dihydroxycinnamate 7, (−)-drimenol 8, (−)-drimenin 9 and (−)-ambrox 10.