Syntheses and Diel-Alder Reactions of Bis(Alkylidene)Cyclohexanes

Substituted cyclohexene-fused 3-sulfolenes have been prepared by the direct deprotonation/alkylation reactions of a readily available starting material. These fused 3-sulfolenes undergo inter- and intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions at high temperatures to give properly substituted bi- and tricyclic molecules.