Short Total Synthesis of Ajoene

Abstract

We describe a short total synthesis of ajoene, a major biologically active constituent of garlic. The instability of allicin as the only other known alternative starting material has led to the development of a reliable procedure for the synthesis of ajoene from simple building blocks that is also suitable for upscale operations.

Keywords: ajoene; allicin; garlic; organosulfur compounds; selenoxide elimination.