Regioselective carbolithiation of o-amino-(E)-stilbenes: cascade route to the quinoline scaffold.

[reaction: see text] The regioselective carbolithiation of substituted ortho-amino-(E)-stilbenes can be exploited to initiate cascade reaction sequences that can be utilized as new routes to substituted 3,4-dihydro-1H-quinolin-2-ones, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines, 1,4-dihydroquinolines, and quinolines.