Deoxyharringtonine (Ⅰ) isolated from Cephalotazzcs plant material is known as an alkaloid with significant inhibitory activity against P-388 leukemia.We now report the synthesis of deoxyharringtonine (Ⅰ) by condensation of a-ketoacid (Ⅳ) with cephalotaxine (Ⅴ) through a Reformatsky reaction.The analogues (Ⅱ,Ⅲ)of deoxyharringtonine (Ⅰ) have been synthesized by the same procedure.