Considerable attention is currently focused upon the trichothecene family of sesquiterpenes owing, in part, to the wide range of biological activities displayed by this group of natural products.'X2 This is particularly true for the macrocyclic members in which an intricate concentration of ether-ester-olefin-alcohol functionalities connects the C4 and C15 hydroxyl groups of the tricyclic backbone. Changes in the type and/or orientation of the ...