β-Nitroacrylates as key starting materials for the one-pot synthesis of densely functionalized penta-substituted anilines

The reaction of ylidene malononitriles with β-nitroacrylates, in Et3N/MeCN, affords the one-pot synthesis of a new class of penta-substituted, densely functionalized anilines in satisfactory to good overall yields. The method represents a very important improvement of the recent strategy for the preparation of anilines from conjugated nitroalkenes.