N-acyliminium ion pool as a heterodiene in [4+2] cycloaddition reaction

An N-acyliminium ion pool was found to undergo cycloaddition reaction with a variety of dienophiles such as alkenes and alkynes. A concerted mechanism seems to be most likely for alkyl-substituted alkenes as suggested by the I)FT calculations, whereas a stepwise mechanism plays the major role for aryl-substituted alkenes. It is also noteworthy that the present study demonstrates the potential of the combination of the cation pool method and the micromixing in both mechanistic and synthetic aspects.