Chiral acylnitroso dienophiles 14, which were obtained from L-proline and from D-mandelic acid, reacted with cyclohexa-1,3-diene to give the expected diastereoisomers 15 and 16 (Scheme 2 and Table 1). The d.e. values for these Diels-Alder reactions were moderate; they are related to the molecular stiffness of the dienophiles. The absolute configuration of the major cycloadducts was interpreted in terms
Cyclopentadiene nitroso adducts 1a and ent-1a were synthesised in good yields and good enantiomeric excess from chiral chloro-nitroso derivatives 4 and 5 in the d-mannose and d-ribose series, respectively. The thermal racemisation of these adducts occurred below room temperature. Some other chiral Diels–Alder nitroso adducts were prepared in the d-mandelic, l-prolinol and d-O-methylprolinol series