or oxidation of myristicin, which would be my first try.
[...]
The third route, that which starts with myristicin, appeared to be the only practical synthesis of the title compound. Base-catalyzed isomerization to isomyristicin places the double bond in a position appropriate to an aldehydic end product. KMnO4 has been employed in a number of procedures to provide the final aldehyde, but there is concurrent formation of the corresponding benzoic acid. Hydrogen peroxide with a vanadium catalyst precludes acid formation but still provides only modest yields. It has only been through ozonolysis that sizable quantities of 4 have been prepared but here minor variations in the reaction conditions seriously affect the yields realized.
[...]
Myristicinaldehyde
An intimate mixture of 50 g 2 (1-(3-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-nitropropene) and 26 g DL-&alfa;-methylbenzylamine was heated on the steam bath until solution was effected and the evolution of nitroethane was complete. The intermediate Schiff base 3 was hydrolyzed without isolation by the addition of dilute hydrochloric acid and continued heating. At 60 to 80° there was an abrupt solidification of the myristicinaldehyde that had formed and further heating was unnecessary. The aldehyde is removed by filtration of the cooled reaction mixture and could be purified either by crystallization from water, or better by exhaustive extraction of this crude solid product with boiling hexane. The yield thus obtained is 36.9 g (97% of theory and 79% overall from isomyristicin) of a cream-colored solid with mp 128-129°.
Complete integrity of the ether orientation was established by the reconversion of 4 (myristicinaldehyde) to 2 with nitroethane as has been described for the trimethoxy counterpart.
[...]
note: 2 was prepared from isomyristicin using tetranitromethane.
reference: A Shulgin. Can J Chem 46 (1968) 75