Ry HEINZ P. PLAUMANN, JAMES G. SMITH, and RUSSELL RODRIGO* (Guelph- Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1) ... Summary A three-step synthesis of seven lignans by means of a Diels-Alder reaction followed by selective borane reduction of an aromatic ester is described. ... WE report an efficient, general synthesis of some l-aryl- naphthalide ...