An approach to the synthesis of the lactone fragment of the lankacidin antibiotics is described which is based upon stereoselective modification of an L-aspartic acid derived p-lactam. ... The lankacidins constitute a group of naturally occurring macrocyclic compounds which exhibit both antibiotic and antitumour activity, whilst being relatively non-toxic.1 Struc- turally they are characterized by a 17-membered carbocyclic ring, bridged by a 6-membered lactone as found in ...
