Gold-Catalyzed Reaction of ortho-Alkynylarylaldehydes with Conjugated Dienes: An Efficient Access to Highly Strained Tetracyclic Bridgehead Olefins

An unprecedented access to strained tetracyclic bridgehead alkenes by reaction of easily accessible ortho-alkynylarylaldehydes with conjugated dienes is described. The process involves a chemo-and stereo-selective, gold-catalyzed, tandem intermolecular [3+2] cycloaddition/Prins-type ring-closing reaction that allows generating structural complexity in a straightforward manner. This approach for the preparation of anti-Bredt compounds is synthetically superior to those previously reported: the procedure is easy to implement, operates under mild experimental conditions, is efficient, and exhibits a good substrate scope.