Lewis acid catalyzed reaction of aromatic vinyl halides with aromatic aldehydes: A novel aldol-type condensation mimic

Abstract

In the presence of catalytic amounts of Lewis acid, aromatic α-vinyl halides readily undergo reaction with aromatic aldehydes at ambient temperatures to give a variety of substituted transchalcones in moderate to excellent yields. These compounds are potentially useful synthetic intermediates for organic synthesis as well as compounds of significance in terms of their ability to exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activity. This is the first reported example in which haloalkenyl derivatives other than metallooxyalkenes can participate in the Mukaiyama-aldol type carbon-carbon formation reaction.