Norbert De Kimpe,* Angelina Georgieva,+ Marc Boeykens, and Laszlo Lazafi Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, University of Gent, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Gent, Belgium ... The first total synthesis of laurencione, a naturally occurring dihydro-3(2H)-furanone derivative isolated from the red alga Laurencia spectabilis, is described. The synthesis is comprised (1) of conversion of y-butyrolactone ...