N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Reaction of 2-(2-Aroylvinyl)cinnamaldehydes with a,ß-Unsaturated Imines: An Efficient Method for the Stereoselective Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Indane Derivatives.

The NHC-catalyzed reaction of 2-(2-aroylvinyl)cinnamaldehydes with a,ß-unsaturated imines was studied, which produced good yields of novel 3-aryl-9-[1,3-diaryl-3-(4-tolylsulfonamido) allyl]-9,9a-dihydroindeno[2,1-c]pyran-1(4aH)-ones with high diastereoselectivity. The products can be easily converted into different highly functionalized indane derivatives via simple operations. Thus, this work provides a simple and efficient method for the stereoselective synthesis of 1,2,3-trisubstituted indane derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]