We are currently utilising the aldol / Mannich cyclisation methodology as part of a synthesis of (-)-dibromophakelin, a weak guanidine base extracted from the marine sponge Phakellia Flabella, found on the Great Barrier Reef. ⁴This compound serves as a good target, both as a showcase for the direct entry into these enone systems,⁵ and to develop a protocol for the conversion of the enone moiety into a cyclic guanidine, a feature of the main target of my Ph. D. studies, saxitoxin. ^6-7