Ruthenium- and Platinum-Catalyzed Sequential Reactions: Selective Synthesis of Fused Polycyclic Compounds from Propargylic Alcohols and Alkenes

A simple method for the preparation of fused polycyclic compounds by an intramolecular
cyclization of propargylic alcohols bearing an alkene moiety at a suitable position has been developed,
where the presence of both Ru and Pt catalysts promotes a sequence of catalytic cycles in the same
medium. This sequential system can be applied to an intermolecular reaction between a propargylic alcohol
and an alkene to obtain the corresponding bicyclo[3,1,0]hex-2-ene derivative. These sequential reactions
provide a conceptually new type of cycloaddition system between propargylic alcohols and alkenes.