Total Synthesis of Morphine- and Hasubanane Alkaloids

(-)-Morphine, the main alkaloid of the opium poppy, remains one of the most important medicines for the treatment of severe pain and a true delight for synthetic chemists.1 In spite of its small size and long history, it is still considered to be an interesting target for chemical synthesis. (-)-Morphine and its synthetic precursors (-)-codeine and (-)-dihydrocodeinone feature a complicated network of three carbocycles and two heterocycles containing five vicinal stereocenters, four of which define ring junctures. Among these, the benzylic quaternary carbon deserves special attention.