anion 
 relay chemistry ( arc ) , an effective , multicomponent union 
 tactic , was successfully employed for the total synthesis of the highly 
 cytotoxic marine macrolide ( )-mandelalide a ( 1 ) . the northern hemisphere was constructed via a new type ii arc / cucn 
 cross - coupling tactic , while the southern hemisphere was secured via 
 a highly efficient four - component type i arc union . 
 importantly , the 
 synthesis of 1 showcases arc as a rapid , scalable coupling 
 strategy for the union of simple readily available building blocks 
 to access diverse complex molecular fragments with excellent stereochemical 
 control .