Diels‐Alder‐Reactions Part I: New Preparative Aspects

Cycloadditions of conjugated dienes, named after their discoverers, have claimed preparative and mechanistic interest for nearly 40 years. The almost inexhaustible variability of the components of these one‐stage reactions offers entry to important classes of compounds. The systematization of the preparative uses of these reactions which is offered in this paper relates predominantly to recent results. The mechanistic aspects of the Diels‐Alder reactions will be discussed later in the second part of this contribution.