Diels-Alder Reaction

Name:
Diels-Alder Reaction
Detailed information:
An important organic reaction for the synthesis of 6-membered rings discovered in 1928. It involves the addition of an ethylenic double bond to a conjugated diene, i.e., a compound containing two double bonds separated by one single bond, as in 1,3-butadiene (CH₂═CH—CH═CH₂) or cyclopentadiene. The ease of addition of the ethylenic compound is greatly enhanced by adjacent carbonyl groups; hence maleic anhydride reacts quantitatively with hexachlorocyclopentadiene to form chlorendic anhydride.