Synthesis of 4-O-Methylcedrusin. Selective Protection of Catechols with Diphenyl Carbonate

4-O-Methylcedrusin, a minor component in ‘sangre de drago’, has been synthesized using a strategy of successive protection and deprotection reactions under very mild conditions. The key step of this synthesis is a selective protection of a catechol group as a cyclic carbonate in the presence of an isolated phenol group.