Highly regioselective Diels-Alder reactions of a non-protected β -hydroxy quinone have been achieved after formation of chelated lithium alkoxides. In this report, we demonstrate on a model system, that the selectivity of reactions based on 1,3-dioxy-substituted quinones can be efficiently controlled by the addition of Lewis acid (AlMe 3 ), which chelates the substrate by the two oxygens.Recently, synthetic methods for the construction of chromane and spirochromane skeletons have been investigated as a route to robustadial and their important synthetic intermediates. 1-3 Interesting natural products of potential significance in treating malaria or as inhibitors of Epstein-Barr virus activation, 4,5 robustadials (e.g. robustadial A and B) and euglobals (e.g. euglobal 1a 1 and 1a 2 ), were isolated ten years ago from the leaves of Eucalyptus robusta by Nakanishi's group, 6 along with a variety of cycloadduct molecules whose structure suggested that their biosynthesis was the result of a biogenetic cycloaddition of corresponding terpenes and ortho -quinone methides ( orthoquinomethanes). The first total synthesis of robustadial dimethyl ethers, which was reported by Salomon and al ., 3,7 also proved their structure. It was followed by a few other studies describing partial or total syntheses. [8][9][10][11][12] ortho -Quinone methide reactive dienes, readily available from quinoid compounds, have found numerous applications in organic synthesis. 13 For example, they are ideally suited for the generation of a variety of annulated ring systems via intramolecular hetero-Diels-Alder cycloadditions. 14,15 This potentially general method could conceivably be used to prepare a large number of chromanes as euglobal analogs. 16 In the present study, different substituted quinones were converted to the corresponding o -quinone methides by an anionic way, 17 before being successfully trapped in situ either by another quinone to give chromanes or by unactivated alkenes to form euglobal skeletons. 18 The starting substituted quinones 7-9 were easily prepared on a multigram scale from 2,5-dimethoxy-3,4,6-trimethylbenzaldehyde (1) 19 in several steps (Scheme 1). Reduction of the aldehydic function of 1 with NaBH 4 in methanol furnished the corresponding alcohol 2 , which was converted either into the chloride 3 in over 85% yield by thionyl chloride in anhydrous dichloromethane, or into the benzyl ether derivative 6 in 88% yield by O -benzylation of 2 with benzyl bromide. Treatment of the chloride 3 with 1.1 equivalents of lithium methoxide (and respectively potassium tert -butoxide) gave the corresponding ether 4 (respectively 5 ) in one step with good yields (>85%). Subsequent oxidation of 2 , 4 , 5 and 6 with cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN) restored the quinone function and afforded the quinones 7-10 in good to excellent yields (80-96%).Among numerous reported methods for the formation of unstable o -quinone methides 20 we have chosen alkali treatment of the starting quinones. 17 This procedure has allowed us to generate selec...