Improvements in the chirospecific synthesis of (+)-anatoxin from D-glutamic acid have resulted in a process that gives enantiomerically pure material in reproducible 25% overall yield. The major synthetic modifications have been in the decarbonylative iminium ion cyclization and in the introduction of the enone moiety. With multigram quantities of (+)- anatoxin thus available, a series of nitrogen and side chain modified analogues has been ...