We report the first total synthesis of natural diarylbenzophenone selagibenzophenone C recently isolated from a plant species Selaginella tornanscina, traditionally used in folklore medicines. The framework of the natural compound is assembled via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling and the addition of organometallic species.
Following some ambiguities in the assignment of the structures for some of the natural products belonging to this compound class, the spectral data reported for the isolated selagibenzophenone C are carefully compared to the data of the synthetic product, and the structure of the natural product is confirmed.