Pt(II)-catalyzed carbocyclization of benzaldehyde containing a keto-nitrile functionality resulted in the formation, respectively, of isochromenes and spiro-lactones instead of fused lactams and spiro-lactams as was previously reported. The reaction mechanism was proposed, and the products were identified by multidimensional NMR, IR, and X-ray analysis. The structure of these new products was also
Enantiopure N‐benzyl 6‐oxopipecolic acid, generated from (S)‐2‐aminoadipic acid, was evaluated under different π‐cationic cyclization conditions. The combination of SOCl2/AlCl3 seems to be superior in terms of the reaction yields. Other activators resulted in a change of the reaction profile and, interestingly, in the diversification of the aza‐heterocyclic systems.