Abstract The Lewis acid catalyzed cyclization of oxalyl chloride with 1, 3-bis (trimethylsilyloxy)-1, 3-dienes 3, derived from 1, 3-dicarbonyl compounds 1, provides a new and general approach for the synthesis of γ-alkylidenebutenolides 4, a pharmacologically and synthetically important class of substances. A variety of butenolides were efficiently prepared in good yields and with very good regio-and stereoselectivities. An up-scaling of ...
