[1]Fudan University, School of Pharmacy,Shanghai,China
[2]Fudan University, Department of Chemistry,Shanghai,China
An improved route to coenzyme Q10 (1) starting from commercially available coenzyme Q1 is described. The key steps in this synthesis are the SeO2-mediated oxidation of the protected isoprenylhydroquinone 3 into the (E)-allyl alcohol 5 without the formation of undesired stereoisomer and the one-pot reductive elimination of the phenylsulfonyl and dibenzyl groups in 7 by using naphthalenyllithium. © 2006 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG.