A highly regio- and stereoselective nickel-catalyzed ring-opening reaction of alkyl- and allylzirconium reagents to 7-oxabenzonorbornadienes

[Reaction: see text]. An efficient method for the synthesis of cis-2-alkyl- or allyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalenes via a nickel-catalyzed highly regio- and stereoselective ring-opening addition of alkyl- or allylzirconium reagents to 7-oxabenzonorbornadienes is described. Treatment of 7-oxabenzonorbornadienes 1a-c with various alkylzirconium reagents 2a-j (Cp2ZrClCH2CH2R: R = tert-butyl, n-butyl, n-pentyl, -(CH2)3CH=C(CH3)2, -SiMe3, -CH2SiMe3, -(CH2)3Br, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, and benzyl) in the presence of NiBr2(dppe) and Zn powder in dry THF at 50 degrees C afforded the corresponding cis-2-alkyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene derivatives 3a-m in good yields. In addition, allyl zirconium reagents 4a-c also underwent ring-opening reactions with 1a and 1c to give 5a-d in very good yields. The alkylative ring-opening products from 7-oxabenzonorbornadiene can be further converted to naphthalene derivatives 6a-c, via an acid-mediated dehydration, in good to excellent yields. A possible mechanism for the present catalytic reaction was proposed.     

Highly efficient cyclization of o-iodobenzoates with aldehydes catalyzed by cobalt bidentate phosphine complexes: a novel entry to chiral phthalides

Methyl 2-iodobenzoates 1 a-c undergo cyclization reactions with various aromatic aldehydes 2 a-m (RC6H4CHO: R=H 2 a, 4-CH3 2 b, 4-tBu 2 c, 4-OMe 2 d, 3-OMe 2 e, 4-Cl 2 f, 4-CF3 2 g, 4-CN 2 h, 4-Ph 2 i; benzo[d][1,3]dioxole-5-carbaldehyde (2 j), 1-napthaldehyde (2 k), benzofuran-2-carbaldehyde (2 l), and isonicotinaldehyde (2 m)) in the presence of [CoI2(dppe)] (dppe=1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) and Zn powder in dry THF at 75 degrees C for 24 h to give the corresponding phthalide derivatives 3 a-m and 3 q-t in good to excellent yields. Under similar reaction conditions, less reactive aliphatic aldehydes, heptanal (2 n), butyraldehyde (2 o), and 2-phenylacetaldehyde (2 p) also underwent cyclization reactions with 1 a to provide 3 n-p, respectively, in fair to good yields. The catalytic reaction can be further extended to cinnamyl aldehyde (2 q) with 1 a to give the corresponding phthalide derivative 3 u. This synthetic method is compatible with a variety of functional groups on the aryl ring of 2. The high efficiency of the cobalt catalyst containing a dppe (dppe=1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) ligand encouraged us to investigate the asymmetric version of the present catalytic reaction by employing bidentate chiral ligands. Thus, aromatic aldehydes 2 a-c, 2 f, and 2 g undergo cyclization with 2-iodobenzoate (1 a) smoothly in the presence of [CoI2{(S,S)-dipamp}] ((S,S)-dipamp=(1S,2S)-(+)-bis[2-methoxyphenyl]phenylphosphino)ethane) and zinc powder in THF at 75 degrees C for 24 h, giving the corresponding (S)-phthalides 4 a-e in 81-89% yields with 70-98% ee. A possible mechanism for the present catalytic reaction is proposed.     

Synthesis of polycyclic pyridazinediones as chemiluminescent compounds

Reactions of 1,3-disubstituted 5-aminopyrazole-4-carbonitrile derivatives 3a-o with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of potassium carbonate in dimethyl sulfoxide gave the corresponding dimethyl 1,3-disubstituted pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5,6-dicarboxylates 4a-o which were allowed to react with excess hydrazine hydrate under ethanol refluxing conditions followed by heating at 250-300° to give 1,3-disubstituted 4-amino-1H-pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyridazine-5,8(6H,7H)-diones 7a-s in good yields. Similarly, 1,3-disubstituted 4-hydroxy-1H-pyrazolo[4′3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyridazine-5,8(6H,7H)-diones 10a-c were obtained from alkyl 1,3-disubstituted 5-aminopyrazole-4-carboxylates 8a-c . These tricyclic pyridazine derivatives were alternatively synthesized from 4-hydroxypyrrolo[3,4-e]pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine-5,7-diones 13a-c prepared by reactions of 5-aminopyrazoles (8e-g) with methyl 1-methyl-4-methylthio-2,5-dioxo-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylate (11a) followed by the Gould/Jacobs reaction. 1-Methyl-4-methylthio-2,5-dioxo-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile smoothly reacted with 2-aminobenzimidazoles to give the corresponding 5-amino-3-methyl-1H-pyrrolo[3′4′:4,5]pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-1,3(2H)-diones 16a-e , which were readily converted to the desired 12-aminopyridazino[4′,5′:4,5]pyrimido-[1,2-a]benzimidazole-1,4(2H,3H)-diones 17a-e in good yields. Other pyridazinopyrimidine derivatives were also obtained by the reaction of the corresponding 2-aminoheterocycles with the maleimide in good yields. Substituted anilines reacted 11b in refluxing methanol to give the corresponding methyl 4-phenylamino-1-methyl-2,5-dioxo-1H-pyrrole-3-carboxylates 25a-e which were converted in good yields to 2-methylpyrrolo[3,4-b]quinoline derivatives 26a-e by heating in diphenyl ether. Reaction of 26a-c with hydrazine hydrate gave 10-hydroxypyridazino[4,5-b]quinoline-1,4(2H,3H)-diones 27a-e in good yields. The desired 10-aminopyridazino[4,5-b]pyridazine-1,4(2H,3H)-diones 30a-e were obtained in good yields by the chlorination of 4a-e with phosphorus oxychloride followed by aminolysis with 28% ammonium hydroxide. Some pyridazino[4,5-a][2.2.3]cyclazine-1,4(2H,3H)-diones 37a,b as luminescent compounds were synthesized via several steps from indolizine derivatives. The key intermediates, dimethyl 6-dimethylamino[2.2.3]cyclazine-1,2-dicarboxylates 34, 36 , were synthesized by the [8 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of the corresponding 7-dimethylaminoindolizines 33, 35 with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate in the presence of Pd-C in refluxing toluene. Some were found to be more efficient than luminol in light production. 4-Amino-3-methylsufonyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazolo[4′,3′:5,6]pyrido[2,3-d]pyridazine-5,8(6H,7H)-dione (7r) , 10-hydroxypyridazino[4,5-b]-quinoline-1,4(2H,3H)-diones 27a-e , and 10-aminopyridazino[4,5-b]quinoline-1,4(2H,3H)-diones 30a-e showed the greatest chemiluminescence intensity in the presence of hydrogen peroxide peroxidase in a solution of phosphate buffer at pH 8.0.     

Novel routes to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines and 5,6,9,10,11,11a-hexahydro-8H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrrolo[2,1-c]pyrazines

Condensation reactions of benzotriazole and 2-(pyrrol-1-yl)-1-ethylamine (1) with formaldehyde and glutaric dialdehyde, respectively, afforded intermediates 2 and 6. Subsequent nucleophilic substitutions of the benzotriazole group in 2 and 6 with Grignard reagents, sodium cyanide, and sodium borohydride gave 1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazines 3a-e, 4, 5 and 5,6,9,10,11,11a-hexahydro-8H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrrolo[2,1-c]pyrazines 7a-c, 8, 9, respectively, in good yields.     

Synthesis and structural study of novel 5-aryl substituted 2-amino-4,7-dioxopyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines

The tide compounds 4a-c have been prepared in a one-step procedure from 2,4-diamino-6-hydroxy-pyrimidine (1) and the corresponding arylidene substituted Meldrum's acids 2a-e in very good yields. Semiempirical theoretical calculations (AMI) reveal two favoured conformations ( A and B ) for compounds 4a-e. The ¹H-nmr determinations, by using Karplus and Altona equations, clearly indicate that conformation A, with the aryl group on C5 in a pseudoaxial position, is that predominant in solution. The calculated charge density values for the olefinic carbons are in agreement with the experimental push-pull effect observed in the ¹³C-nmr spectra.     

Stereoselective preparation of ceramide and its skeleton backbone modified analogues via cyclic thionocarbonate intermediates derived by catalytic asymmetric dihydroxylation of alpha,beta-unsaturated ester precursors

A novel and efficient synthetic route to ceramide 1a and skeleton backbone modified ceramide analogues 1b,c is reported. The syntheses utilize osmium-catalyzed asymmetric dihydroxylation of (E)-alpha, beta-unsaturated ester 5a-c as the chiral induction step, with the desired configurations in the products 1a-c, 2a, and 13 being generated by regioselective azide substitution at the alpha position of alpha,beta-dihydroxyesters 6a-c via a cyclic thionocarbonate intermediate. Azido esters 10a-c are converted to the corresponding ceramides 1a-c by a sequence of azide reduction, N-acylation, ester reduction (NaBH(4)/LiBr), and Birch reduction of the triple bond (Li, EtNH(2)). These seven- to eight-step syntheses afford the target compounds 1a-c with excellent stereocontrol and in 30-42% overall yields. Furthermore, propargylic alpha-azido-beta-hydroxyester 10a is converted to D-erythro-sphingosine 2a via simultaneous reduction of the triple bond, azido, and ester functional groups with LiAlH(4), providing a highly concise and practical four-step synthesis of this key naturally occurring sphingolipid. The L-erythro stereoisomers are also available in high enantiomeric purity by the method described herein.     

Efficient peptide coupling involving sterically hindered amino acids

Hindered amino acids have been introduced into peptide chains by coupling N-(Cbz- and Fmoc-alpha-aminoacyl)benzotriazoles with amino acids, wherein at least one of the components was sterically hindered, to provide compounds 3a-e, (3c +3 c'), 5a-d, (5a + 5a'), 6a-c, (6b + 6b'), 8a-c, 9a-e, 10a-d, and (10a + 10a') in isolated yields of 41-95% with complete retention of chirality as evidenced by NMR and HPLC analysis. The benzotriazole activation methodology is a new route for the synthesis of sterically hindered peptides. (Note: compound numbers written within brackets represent diastereomeric mixtures or racemates; compound numbers without brackets represent enantiomers.).     

The synthesis, structure and ethene polymerisation catalysis of mono(salicylaldiminato) titanium and zirconium complexes

The silyl ethers 3-But-2-(OSiMe3)C6H3CH=NR (2a-e) have been prepared by deprotonation of the known iminophenols (1a-e) and treatment with SiClMe3 (a, R = C6H5; b, R = 2,6-Pri2C6H3; c, R = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2; d, R = 2-C6H5C6H4; e, R = C6F5). 2a-c react with TiCl4 in hydrocarbon solvents to give the binuclear complexes [Ti{3-But-2-(O)C6H3CH=N(R)}Cl(mu-Cl3)TiCl3] (3a-c). The pentafluorophenyl species 2e reacts with TiCl4 to give the known complex Ti{3-But-2-(O)C6H3CH=N(R)}2Cl2. The mononuclear five-coordinate complex, Ti{3-But-2-(O)C6H3CH=N(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)}Cl3 (4c), was isolated after repeated recrystallisation of 3c. Performing the dehalosilylation reaction in the presence of tetrahydrofuran yields the octahedral, mononuclear complexes Ti{3-But-2-(O)C6H3CH=N(R)}Cl3(THF) (5a-e). The reaction with ZrCl4(THF)2 proceeds similarly to give complexes Zr{3-But-2-(O)C6H3CH=N(R)}Cl3(THF) (6b-e). The crystal structures of 3b, 4c, 5a, 5c, 5e, 6b, 6d, 6e and the salicylaldehyde titanium complex Ti{3-But-2-(O)C6H3CH=O}Cl3(THF) (7) have been determined. Activation of complexes 5a-e and 6b-e with MAO in an ethene saturated toluene solution gives polyethylene with at best high activity depending on the imine substituent.     

The nitration of some 1-aryl(or benzyl)pyrroles

Nitration of 1-arylpyrroles 1a-c with acetyl nitrate, and 1-arylpyrroles, 1a-e and 1-(2-ethoxycarbonylbenzyl)pyrrole 4 with trifluoroacetyl nitrate gave the corresponding 2-nitro isomers 2a-e and 5, and 3-nitro isomers 3a-e and 6 . 3-Nitropyrroles 3d and 3e were further nitrated with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acids to give compounds 10, 11 and 12 , respectively. Under the same conditions 1-(2-ethoxycarbonylbenzyl)-3-nitropyrrole 6 gave derivative 13 .     

Synthesis of pyrroles through a 4π-electrocyclic ring-closure reaction of 1-azapentadienyl cations

1-Azapenta-1,4-diene-3-ols 4a-m are easily accessible from 1-azapenta-1,4-dien-3-ones 3a-i and organolithium compounds. Treatment of the compounds 4a-m with strong acid (triflic acid) generates 1-azapentadienyl cations in situ upon protonation at the hydroxyl oxygen atom and subsequent water elimination. The intermediate cations undergo facile 4π-electrocyclization under ambient condition to give diversely substituted pyrroles 6a-m in moderate to good yield. The product pyrrole 6k could be characterized by X-ray diffraction. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to elucidate the mechanism of this reaction with respect to starting compounds, transition states, and products. They support the proposed mechanism of a 4π-conrotatory M?bius-type electrocyclic ring-closure reaction.     

Photocyclization reactions. Part 1. Synthesis of dihydrobenzofuranols using photocyclization of 2-alkoxybenzaldehydes, 2′-alkoxyacetophenones, 2-formylphenoxyacetic acids and 2-acetylphenoxyacetic acids

Photocyclization reactions were carried out on 2-alkoxybenzaldehydes 1a-f , 2′-alkoxyacetophenones 2a-h , 2-formylphenoxyacetic acids 1i-l and 2-acetylphenoxyacetic acids 2i-m . Irradiation of 1a-f and 2a-h in acetonitrile gave the corresponding dihydrobenzofuranols 3, 5 and dihydroisobenzofuranols 4, 6 . Using carboxylic acids 1i-1, 2i-m as starting materials, decarboxylation occurred immediately to give the corresponding ethers 1a-d, 2a-e . Further irradiation of the solution afforded dihydrobenzofuranols 3, 5 and dihydroisobenzofuranols 4, 6 . Substituent effects on photocyclization and reaction pathways are discussed.     

Scandium-catalyzed carbon-carbon bond formations using alpha-organosulfanyl and organoselanyl-alpha-fluoroacetic acid derivatives

The scandium-catalyzed reactions of alpha-organosulfanyl and organoselanyl-alpha-fluoroacetates 1-2, acetamides 3-4 and acetonitrile 5 with soft nucleophiles proceeded to give the products 6a-b, 7a-c, 8a-c, 9a-e in good to high yields. We also successfully performed the scandium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclization reactions and obtained the unique 5-methylene-2-oxotetrahydropyrans 16-17.     

Syntheses of optically active tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-ones and hexahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2(3H)-ones

The reactions of (2S)-2-amino-2-substituted-N-(4-nitrophenyl)acetamides 16a-c, succindialdehyde (13), and benzotriazole afforded enantiopure (3S,5R,7aR)-5-(1H-1,2,3-benzotriazol-1-yl)-3-substituted-1-(4-nitrophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-ones 17a-c, which were converted by sodium borohydride into (3S,7aR)-3-substituted-1-(4-nitrophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-2-ones 18a-c. Chiral (2S)-2-amino-2-substituted-N-(4-methylphenyl)acetamides 12a-d, easily prepared in two steps from N-Boc-alpha-amino acids 10a-d, similarly reacted with glutaraldehyde (20) and benzotriazole to generate 5-benzotriazolyl-3-substituted-hexahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2(3H)-ones 21a-d, which were converted by sodium borohydride directly into optically active 3-substituted-hexahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-2(3H)-ones 22a-d.     

Studies on the esterifications of 9-（hydroxyimino）-4-methyl-8,9-dihydrofuro[2,3-h]chromen-2-one with acid chlorides under different conditions

The esterifications of 9-（hydroxyimino）-4-methyl-8,9-dihydrofuro[2,3-h]chromen-2-one （4） with acid chlorides afforded normal oxime-esters 3a-e in 35-78% yields in presence of excessive 4-dimethylaminopyridine as the acid scavenger, whereas the reactions gave unexpected 8-substituted products N-（8-chloro-4-methyl-2-oxo-2H-furo-[2,3-h]chromen-9-yl）amides （5a-c） and 4-methyl-2,9-dioxo-8,9-dihydro-2H-furo[2,3-h]chromen-8-ylcarboxyloates （6d-e） by using excessive acid chlorides. The structures of 10 new compounds were determined by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and HRMS, and the possible mechanism for the formation of unexpected products 5a--c and 6d-e was also proposed.     

Highly regio- and chemoselective palladium-catalyzed propargylallylation of activated olefins: a novel route to 1,7-enyne derivatives

An efficient method for the synthesis of 1,7-enyne derivatives via phosphine-palladium-catalyzed three-component assembling of activated olefins, allylic chlorides, and allenylstannanes is described. Substituted arylethylidene malononitriles 1a-g (RCH=C(CN)(2): R = C(6)H(5) (1a), p-ClC(6)H(4) (1b), p-OMeC(6)H(4) (1c), p-NO(2)C(6)H(4) (1d), 1-naphthyl (1e), 2-furyl (1f), and 2-thienyl (1g)) undergo propargylallylation with allylic chlorides 2a-e (allyl chloride (2a), methallyl chloride (2b), 4-chloropent-2-ene (2c), cinnamyl chloride (2d), and 3-chlorocyclohexene (2e)) and n-tributylallenylstannane (n-Bu(3)SnCH=C=CH(2), 3a) in the presence of Pd(PPh(3))(4) in toluene to afford the corresponding 1,7-enyne derivatives 4a-m in good to excellent yields. The catalytic reaction is highly regioselective, with the propargyl group adding to the carbon where the R group is attached and the allyl group adding to the carbon connected to the CN groups of activated olefins 1a-g. The present catalytic reaction is successfully extended to substituted arylethylidene-1,3-indanediones 5a-j (RCH = (1,3-indanedione): R = C(6)H(5) (5a), p-ClC(6)H(4) (5b), p-BrC(6)H(4) (5c), p-OMeC(6)H(4) (5d), p-NO(2)C(6)H(4) (5e), p-CNC(6)H(4) (5f), p-biphenyl (5g), 1-naphthyl (5h), 2-thienyl (5i), and 2-benzo[b]furane-2-yl (5j)) and substituted 2,2-dimethyl-5-(arylethylidene)-1,3-dioxane-4,6-diones 7a,b (RCH = (1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione): R = p-NO(2)C(6)H(4) (7a), p-OMeC(6)H(4) (7b)). The three-component assembling of these substrates with allylic chlorides (2a,b,d,e) and n-tributylallenylstannane (n-Bu(3)SnCH=C=CH(2), 3a) proceeds smoothly to afford the corresponding 1,7-enyne derivatives 6a-m and 8a-d in good to excellent yields. The catalytic propargylallylation can be further applied to the activated dienes, C(6)H(5)CH=CH=CR(2) (R(2) = (CN)(2) (9a), 1,3-indanedione (9b), 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione (9c)), with allylic chlorides (2a,b,d) and allenylstannane 3a to give regio- and chemoselective 1,2-addition products 10a-h in good to excellent yields. A plausible mechanism based on an eta(1)-allenyl eta(3)-allyl palladium intermediate is proposed to account for the catalytic three-component reaction.     

Bond-selective nitrile insertion into the 2H-azaphosphirene ring system as induced by tetracyanoethylene

Competitive reactions of 2H-azaphosphirene metal complexes 1a-c (M =Cr, Mo, W) with 1-piperidinonitrile and tetracyanoethylene in toluene have been observed at elevated temperatures. For the case of complex 1c, the delta5-1,2-azaphospholene complex 2c (as main product) and the 2H-1,4,2-diazaphosphole complex 3c (as by-product) were separated from the product mixture. At ambient temperature and using 1-piperidinonitrile as solvent, bond and regioselective insertion of 1-piperidinonitrile into the P-N bond of 2H-azaphosphirene metal complexes 1a-c (M = Cr, Mo, W) has been achieved in the presence of tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), yielding 2H-1,4,2-diazaphosphole metal complexes 3a-c, analogous reactions in benzo- or acetonitrile afforded the 2H-1,4,2-diazaphosphole tungsten complexes 3d, e. A preliminary study with the 2H-azaphosphirene tungsten complex 1c and 1-piperidinonitrile as solvent has revealed that substoichiometric amounts of TCNE (0.3 equiv) induce approximately 70% conversion of complex 1c. NMR data of the complexes 2c and 3a-e and the X-ray structure of complex 3c are discussed.     

Haloacetylated enol ethers. 11. Synthesis of 1-methyl- and 1-phenyl pyrazole-3(5)-ethyl esters. A one-pot procedure

A one-pot synthesis of 1-methyl- and 1-phenylpyrazole-3(5)-ethyl esters 2,3a-e by the cyclocondensation of β-alkoxyvinyl trichloromethyl ketones 1a-e with methyl and phenyl hydrazine hydrochloride under mild conditions, is reported. A study using compounds 1a-e with different substituents proved that these are versatile building blocks for the synthesis of pyrazole derivatives, having a 3(5)-ethoxycarbonyl substituent in good yields (60–89%). The hydrazine and β-alkoxyvinyl trichloromethyl ketone substituent effects on the reaction regiochemistry on the formation of the 1,3- and 1,5-isomer were observed.     

Synthesis of new v-triazolopyrimidinium salts

New v-triazolo[1,5-α]- and v-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidinium salts 12a-e, 13a-c have been synthesized via oxidation (i.e. cyclodehydrogenation) of the appropriate pyrimidyl ketone arylhydrazones 3a-e, 6a-c using TBB (2,4,4,6-tetrabromocyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one) as the reagent. The arylhydrazones were obtained by standard reactions; the Grignard reaction of 2-cyano- and 4-cyanopyrimidine 1a,b, 4a-c gave 2-pyrimidyl- and 4-pyrimidyl ketones 2a-e, 5a-c , which reacted with arylhydrazines to yield the desired ketone arylhydrazones 3a-e, 6a-c.     

Synthesis of 5-alkoxymethyl derivatives of 3'-amino-2',3'-dideoxyuridine and evaluation of their activity against HIV and cancer.

5-Alkoxymethyluracils 2a-c have been prepared by acid-catalyzed etherification of 5-hydroxymethyluracil (1). Compounds 1, 2a-c, 5-methoxymethyl- and 5-benzyloxymethyl-uracil were silylated and coupled with 1,5-di-O-acetyl-3-phthalimido-2,3-dideoxy-beta- D-erythro-pentofuranose (3), in the presence of trimethylsilyl triflate as a catalyst, to give the corresponding 3'-phthalimido-2',3'-dideoxynucleosides 5a-f and 6 which on treatment with 33% methylamine-ethanol afforded the corresponding 3'-amino-2',3'-dideoxynucleosides 7a-f and 8 in high yields. Compound 7d showed colony inhibition when tested against human epidermoid cervical cancer cells. Nucleosides 5a-e, 7a-f and 8 did not show any significant activity against HIV-1.     

Studies with 1,3-diketones: A convenient synthesis of some tetrahydro-4H-benzopyran and tetrahydroquinoline derivatives

A facile, one-step synthesis of 2-amino-5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-benzopyran derivatives 4a-e via cyclo-addition reactions of acrylonitrile derivatives 1a-e with 1,3-cyclohexandione 2 is described. On the other hand, the reactions of 2 with the thioamides 1f-h afforded 5-oxo-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives 9a-c in good yields. The structures of the prepared compounds were established from their elemental analyses, spectroscopic data, and by their chemical transformations. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.