Copper-Catalyzed Formation of α-Alkoxycycloalkenones from N-Tosylhydrazones

The combination of 20 mol % of copper iodide and lithium tert-butoxide triggers the formation of a broad range of substituted, functionalized α-alkoxy 2H-naphthalenones from readily available N-tosylhydrazones. The data suggests that this transformation occurs through cycloaddition of a copper carbenoid with an ester, followed by a Lewis acid-catalyzed [1,2] alkyl shift of the in situ generated alkoxyepoxide intermediate.