A new enantioselective synthesis of Masamune's AB fragment (
1) for bryostatin 7 is described. Key steps in the new route include a Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction to set the O(7) stereocenter and an alkylative union between the dithiane
6 and iodide
5 to construct the C(9)-C(10) bond. Because we have previously published a synthesis of Masamune's C-ring phenyl sulfone
2, our new route to
1 constitutes aformal total synthesis of bryostatin 7; it also corrects the previously reported spectral data for
1 in CDCl
3.