Substituent dependent regioselective synthesis of pyranopyrandiones and 1,2-teraryls from 2H-pyran-2-ones

The one-pot substituent-directed regioselective synthesis of 1,7-diaryl-2-methyl-4H,5H-pyrano3,4-c]pyran-4,5-diones 3 as the major and 3,4-diaryl-2-methyl-6-methylsulfanylbenzonitriles 4 as the minor products has been delineated through ring transformation of suitably functionalized 2H-pyran-2-ones 1 with aryl acetones 2. Under similar reaction conditions, 6-aryl-4-sec-amino-2H-pyran-2-ones 5 led, regioselectively, to 3,4-diaryl-2-methyl-6-sec-aminobenzonitriles 6.