Reactions of 1,1-diaryl-2-isopropylidene-3-methylenecyclopropanes with C,N-diarylnitrones and nitrile oxides

The reactions of unactivated bis(methylene)cyclopropanes with nitrones and nitrile oxides have been investigated. The 1,1-diaryl-2-isopropylidene-3-methylenecyclopropanes react with the C,N-diarylnitrones to give a mixture of 2,2-dimethyl-1,6-diaryl-3-(diarylmethylene)piperidin-4-ones and 5-methyl-1-aryl-1-(arylamino)-4-(diarylmethylene)hex-5-en-3-ones. 2,3-Dihydro-3-methylenepyridin-4(1H)-ones are obtained by reaction of 1,1-diaryl-2-isopropylidene-3-methylenecyclopropanes with nitrile oxides.