Novel domino reactions for diterpene synthesis.

New types of concerted domino acylation-cycloalkylation/alkylation-cycloacylation reactions have been described. These processes promoted by methanesulfonic acid-phosphorus pentoxide and concentrated H(2)SO(4), respectively, provide efficient, elegant, and expeditious routes for biologically active naturally occurring diterpenoids, namely (+/-)-ferruginol (1), (+/-)-nimbidiol (2), (+/-)-nimbiol (3), (+/-)-totarol (4), and ar-abietatriene (5).