Synthesis of Substituted 1,6-Diarylnaphthalenes via a Tandem Claisen Rearrangement and Ene Reaction Protocol.

In this work, we developed a concise synthetic route for the synthesis of polysubstituted naphthalenes starting from commercially available isovanillin and its derivatives. Reaction with styryl bromide via O-styrylation, Claisen rearrangement, ene reaction, and O-alkylation occurred in high yields. The key structures were confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.