NHC-Catalyzed Formal [4 + 2] Annulation of <i>o</i>-Formyl-Tethered Michael Acceptors and Ynones to Access Highly Functionalized Naphthalene Derivatives
Herein we demonstrate a novel organocatalytic method to access multifunctionalized naphthalenes via an NHC-catalyzed reaction of ynones and o-formyl-tethered Michael acceptors. The presented method proceeds through an intermolecular Stetter reaction–cyclization–aromatization cascade and represents a rare example of organocatalytic benzannulation for the synthesis of substituted arenes by using ynone