Reported here is a general regiospecific synthesis of cyclobutenedione monoethylendithioacetals
which readily undergo ring opening after addition of an organolithium reagent. The
generated acyclic enols either tautomerize to the corresponding carbonyl compounds
or can be trapped as silylenol ethers, which serve as electron rich dienes in Diels-Alder
additions with tetracyanoethylene or maleic anhydride.
cyclobutenones - dithioacetals - transthioacetalization - electrocyclic ring opening
- Diels-Alder reaction