A strategy for stereoselective totalsynthesis of α-substituted γ-hydroxymethyl γ-butyrolactone containing bioactive natural products cananginones (D–I) has been developed using cheap and commercially available d-mannitol as a chiral pool. The Ireland–Claisenrearrangement is utilized as a key step to generate the α-substituted chiral center of the core lactone moiety, while the elongation of aliphatic