Synthesis of 4-substituted pyrano[4,3-b]pyran-2,5-diones in an ionic liquid

The mildly basic ionic liquid N,N,N,N-tetramethylguanidinium triflate (TMGTf) was found to be a very effective solvent for the reaction between 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one, Meldrum's acid, and aldehydes to afford some novel pyrano[4,3-b]pyran-2,5-diones in high yields at room temperature. The stages, through which these reactions might proceed, depend largely on the nature of the aldehyde substrates. The reaction of aliphatic aldehydes has given access to some novel carboxylated products.