Exo/endo selectivity-control in Lewis-acid catalyzed tandem heterocyclization/formal [4+3] cycloaddition: synthesis of polyheterocycles from 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-ones and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran.

A novel catalytic exo/endo selectivity-controllable tandem heterocyclization/formal [4+3] cycloaddition was developed, which provides rapid, efficient and stereoselective access to highly fused polyheterocycles from readily available 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-ones and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran under mild conditions.