β-Aryl-α-nitro-α,β-enals as heterodienes and dienophiles

As demonstrated with the β-(2-furyl)-substituted analogue 1b, β-aryl-α-nitro-α,β-enals (1) behave as heterodienes against enamines and enol ethers using their enal unit (e.g., 1b → 12). α-Nitro-α,β-enals can act as well as highly reactive dienophiles to render adducts endowed with nitrogenated quaternary centers (e.g., 1b → 15a). A hetero-Diels-Alder (HDA)/Diels-Alder (DA) sequence from 1b also proved feasible on serial treatment with ethyl vinyl ether and Danishefsky's diene (1b → 14).