Diels-Alder transform as T-goal

Diisocyanoadociane, a novel marine-derived diterpenoid, was analyzed retrosynthetically using the intramolecular Diels-Alder transform as T-goal concurrently with topological and stereochemical guidance. The enantioselective synthesis outlined below allowed assignment of absolute configuration. 

Structural subgoals may be useful in the application of transform-based strategies. This is especially so with structurally complex retrons which can be mapped onto a target in only one or two ways. It is often possible in such cases quickly to derive the structure of a possible intermediate in a trial retrosynthetic sequence. For instance, with 109 as TGT the quinone-Diels-Alder transform is an obvious T-goal. The retron for that transform can readily be mapped... 

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