Diels-Alder Reactions of 1-Alkoxy-1-amino-1,3-butadienes: Direct Synthesis of 6-Substituted and 6,6-Disubstituted 2-Cyclohexenones and 6-Substituted 5,6-Dihydropyran-2-ones.

We report the cycloaddition reactions of 1-alkoxy-1-amino-1,3-butadienes. These doubly activated dienes are prepared on a multigram scale from crotonic acid chloride and its derivatives. The dienes undergo Diels-Alder (DA) and hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA) reactions under mild reaction conditions with a variety of electron-deficient dienophiles to afford cycloadducts in good yields with excellent regioselectivities. The hydrolysis of the DA cycloadducts provides 6-substituted and 6,6-disubstituted 2-cylohexenones, which are versatile building blocks for complex molecule synthesis. The corresponding HDA cycloadducts afford 6-substituted 5,6-dihydropyran-2-ones.