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A practical and generally applicable synthesis of the important flavor ingredients corylone (5) and its alkyl homologues 11, 13, 15, and 16 is described, based on alkylation of methyl 4-methoxyacetoacetate (6) with an ?-chloro-ketone and subsequent cyclization, hydrolysis, and decarboxylation. The one-pot transformation of methyl 4-chloroacetoacetate to 17 through four consecutive steps is demonstrated. The principle has also been used to prepare the six-membered ring analogues 23 and 24.