Lewis Acid-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Benzannulation between Enynal Units and Enols or Enol Ethers:  Novel Synthetic Tools for Polysubstituted Aromatic Compounds Including Indole and Benzofuran Derivatives

The reaction of enynals 1, including o-(alkynyl)benzaldehydes, and carbonyl compounds 2, such as aldehydes and ketones, in the presence of a catalytic amount of AuBr3 in 1,4-dioxane at 100 degrees C gave the functionalized aromatic compounds 3 in high yields. Similarly, the AuBr3-catalyzed reactions of 1 with acetal compounds 5 afforded the corresponding aromatic compounds 3 in good yields. On the other hand, when the reaction was carried out in the presence of a catalytic amount of Cu(NTf2)2 and 1 equiv of H2O in (CH2Cl)2 at 100 degrees C, the decarbonylated naphthalene products 4 were obtained selectively over 3. Benzofused heteroaromatic compounds, such as indole derivatives 13 and benzofuran derivatives 15, were also synthesized by using the present benzannulation methodology.