A highly diastereoselective synthesis of chroman derivatives bearing spirocyclic N,O-acetals skeleton via a one-pot tandem reaction

A tandem reaction for the synthesis of chroman framework via a one-pot reaction of phenol, paraformaldehyde, and 5-benzylimidazolidin-4-one mediated by p-nitrobenzoic acid is described. The chroman derivatives containing spirocyclic N,O-acetal skeleton can be obtained in moderate to good yields (up to 89%) with good to excellent diastereoselectivities (up to >20:1 dr).

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