Intramolecular 1,3-dipolar nitrone cycloaddition route to bicyclic fused enediyne

Bicyclic isooxazolidinyl enediynes 1 and 2 have been prepared by intramolecular nitrone cycloaddition between the two arms of an acyclic enediyne precursor 13. The reaction is highly regioselective and the two configurational isomers have similar onset temperatures for BC indicating no influence of bridgehead stereochemistry on the kinetics of cyclization.