Natural products of the caged Garcinia xanthones (CGX) family are characterized by a unique chemical structure, potent bioactivities and promising pharmacological profiles. We have developed a Claisen/Diels-Alder reaction cascade that, in combination with a Pd(0)-catalyzed reverse prenylation, provides rapid and efficient access to the CGX pharmacophore, represented by the structure of cluvenon...

The intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of allenic ketones containing a furyl unit (IMDAF) to generate oxatricyclic systems in good yields is described. The alkene dienophiles 1ab give poor yields of the cycloadducts 2ab, presumably due to the facile retro Diels-Alder reaction. However, the analogous allenic dienophile 7 afforded the desired cycloadduct 8 in 91% yield on treatment with dimethyl...

A bicyclic [2.2.2]octadiene framework in which the ethano bridge contains a carbonyl group, an alkynyl and a trimethylsiloxy or hydroxy group has been utilized to generate alkoxyalkynylketenes via a retro-Diels-Alder reaction under relatively mild conditions (138 °C). This is an outstanding result since the retro-Diels-Alder reaction of [2.2.2]bicyclic compounds proceeds quantitatively but at u...

As a new organic reaction medium, a periodic mesoporous inorganic material was found to function as a "solid solvent" in a Diels-Alder reaction of C(60) with cyclopentadiene. This finding was supported by a concentration effect and a kinetic study of the reaction.

Atom efficient processes such as the Diels-Alder reaction (DA) and the ring-rearrangement metathesis (RRM) have been used to design new polycycles. In this regard, ruthenium alkylidene catalysts are effective in realizing the RRM of bis-norbornene derivatives prepared by DA reaction and Grignard addition. Here, fused polycycles are assembled which are difficult to produce by conventional synthe...

An approach to the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction has led to a cascade synthesis of complex carbocycles composed of three fused rings and up to five stereocenters with complete stereocontrol. Computational analysis reveals that the reaction proceeds by a Michael/Michael/cyclopropanation/epimerization cascade in which size and coordination of the counterion is key.

The asymmetric aza-Diels-Alder reaction of chiral imines with Danishefsky's diene in chiral ionic liquids provides the corresponding cycloadduct with moderate to high diastereoselectivity. The reaction has proved to perform better at room temperature in ionic liquids without either Lewis acid catalyst or organic solvent. Chiral ionic liquids are recycled while their efficiency is preserved.

The hetero Diels–Alder (HDA) reactions of 1-diethoxyphosphonyl-1,3-butadiene with various nitroso dienophiles have been studied at the B3LYP/6-31G** level. Structural, energetic and electronic properties are discussed. These cycloadditions with nitroso dienophiles are characterized by a total proximal regioselectivity and an endo selectivity. The influence of the nitroso substitution on the act...

Reported herein is the effect of cyclodextrins on the rates of aqueous Diels Alder reactions of 9-anthracenemethanol with a variety of N-substituted maleimides. These reactions occurred under mild reaction conditions (aqueous solvent, 40 °C), and were most efficient for the reaction of N-cyclohexylmaleimide with a methyl-β-cyclodextrin additive (94% conversion in 24 hours). These results can be...