The total synthesis of curacin A, a cytotoxic agent that interacts with the colchicine binding site on tubulin, is described. The convergent synthesis utilizes natural product and chiral pool starting materials (geraniol, serine) and asymmetric synthesis (chiral allylborane addition, Charette cyclopropanation) to procure the various chiral Fragments in enantiomerically pure form. The assembly of the natural product involves carbon-carbon bond formation(Julia coupling) and heterocycle preparation (Wipf thiazoline synthesis). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.