Ytterbium (III) trifluoromethanesulfonate has been demonstrated to catalyze the solid phase aza Diels-Alder reaction of an aldehyde, a diene, and immobilized benzylamine. The [4+ 2] adducts were cleaved from solid support efficiently using a 'trace-less' release methodology. The piperidine derivatives were obtained in excellent to reasonable yields with high levels of purity.
