Synergistic Catalysis: Metal/Proton-Catalyzed Cyclization of Alkynones Toward Bicyclo[3.n.1]alkanones.

A highly efficient and practical synergistically metal/proton-catalyzed Conia-ene reaction for the synthesis of bicyclo[3.n.1]alkanones has been developed. This synergistic catalysis was successfully utilized in modifying natural compounds such as methyl dihydrojasmonate, α,β-thujone, and 5α-cholestan-3-one. Furthermore, the bridged carbonyl group of bicyclo[3.2.1]alkanones could be easily attacked by nucleophiles to give the ring-opened cycloheptenone products or bicyclo[4.2.1]amide in excellent yields. These reactions provide rapid access to a diverse range of cyclic structures from simple starting materials or naturally occurring compounds.