Conventional ionic bromination of electron-poor olefins. Z-(l-hydroxyalkyl)-and 2-( laikoxyalkyl)propenoates, 2d, and methyl Q-2-(I-hydroxyethyl)-Z-butenoate, 3a, proceeds with yields higher than 80%. Treatmeat of (E)-3-bromo-2-[1-[(2-methoxyethoxy)methoxy]butyl]propenoic acid, 16, with two equivalents of strong bases, reaction related with a possible hydroxyfimbrolide and bromobeckerelide synthesis, resulted in the halogen-metal exchange reaction affording the acrylic acid 18, presumably through the generation of dianion 19. OR' Br 2 3 Scheme 1 study some of these compounds could be useful intermediates in the synthesis of hydroxyfimbrolide (4b), acetoxyfimbrolide (4c), and bromobeckerelide, 5, highly functionalized secondary metabolites of marine origen (Scheme 2).3A All these metabolites present the structure of 4-bromo-3-butyL2(5H)-Turanone. No synthesis of hydroxy-nor acetoxyfimbrolide has been yet reported and only two syntheses of fimbrolides, 4a,5 and one of bromobeckerelide6 have been described. One of these methodssbuses methyl 2_butylpropenoate, 6 (R=H), as starting material to synthesize 4a through the intermediate 7 (R=H). The incorporation of a hydroxyl