Anionic cyclizations of aromatic ester dithioacetals with facially biased α,β-unsaturated ketones

Cyclopent-2-enones bearing a plane-nonsymmetric oxygen function on C-4 reacted efficiently with anions derived from aromatic ester dithioacetals to provide annulated products in a highly diastereoselective fashion. Whereas the anion of a dimethoxy aromatic ester dithiolane more rapidly reacted by an alternative intramolecular pathway, the anion of the corresponding aromatic ester dithiane was suitable for the intermolecular cyclization.