We succeeded in a stereoselective total synthesis of (-)-solavetivone 1 by employing a new enantioselective copper-catalyzed conjugate addition of Me(3)Al to a chiral cyclohexadienone 4, which was prepared from a chiral cyclopropane derivative 9 by using a regioselective Hg(II)-mediated cyclopropyl ring-opening reaction, subsequent Pd(II)-mediated spiroannulation of the resulting alkylmercury chloride 8, and a stereoselective Pd(0)-mediated hydrogenolysis of an allylic formate 15 c as the key reactions. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd