Hetero diels-alder reaction of vinyl allenes and aldehydes. An experimental and computational study.

The hetero Diels-Alder reaction of vinyl allenes and aldehydes in the presence of a Lewis acid has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Differently substituted vinyl allenes and aldehydes were used to obtain information on the structural requirements of the reaction. Theoretical calculations using the density functional theory indicate that the reaction proceeds through a highly asynchronous polar transition state.