A concise synthesis of fusaric acid and (S)-(+)-fusarinolic acid

A four-step synthetic route for an efficient synthesis of natural alkaloids fusaric acid and (S)-(+)-fusarinolic acid is described. The method is based on using 5-bromo-2-iodopyridine as a template to yield monoester without diester formation. Data show that the overall yields are 55% and 70% for fusaric acid and (S)-(+)-fusarinolic acid, respectively.