Oxasqualenoids are a family of squalene-derived triterpene polyethers that have been isolated from both marine and terrestrial organisms. It is often difficult to determine their stereostructures, even by modern NMR methods. As a result, synthetic organic chemists have turned to chemical synthesis to determine the stereostructures of these fascinating natural products. 

In his Emerging Area, Yoshiki Morimoto at Osaka City University, Japan, reports the total assignments of the previously incomplete stereostructures of three members of the oxasqualenoids, through the first asymmetric total syntheses of the natural products.