Aldol condensation versus conjugate addition: intramolecular cyclization using a combination of Lewis acid and 1,2-diol.

The reactivity of 3-substituted 4-methyl-4-(3-oxobutyl)-2-cyclohexen-1-ones (1) in the presence of a combination of a Lewis acid and a 1,2-diol was studied. The results suggest several factors that influence 6-membered ring formation, including two types of intramolecular aldol reaction and intramolecular 1,4-addition, due to the C3-substituent, Lewis acid, and the presence of diol. In this study, novel methodology to prepare two types of decalin skeleton could be developed.