A General Synthesis of 2-Methoxy-2-Cyclohexenones

Abstract
The preparation of octalinone 1 at an early stage of a recent synthesis of valeranone1 required the use of a Robinson annelation with 1,4-dimethoxy-2-butanone (2a), a methoxymethyl vinyl ketone (3) equivalent. The following syntheses of 2-methoxy-2-cyclohexenones illustrate further examples of the heretofore unexploited reaction.2