The present invention provides a simple method for synthesizing
cyclohexenone derivatives from alkoxypropylene, specifically as follows: Using alkoxypropylene and α,β-unsaturated
aldehyde as raw materials, first a Diels-
Alder reaction occurs to obtain a
dihydropyran intermediate, which subsequently undergoes
hydrolysis ring-opening and
Aldol condensation ring-closing to finally obtain a series of
cyclohexenone derivatives. The present invention uses inexpensive and readily available alkoxypropylene and α,β-unsaturated
aldehyde as starting materials. By optimizing conditions such as the catalyst and feeding ratio, the yield of the Diels-
Alder reaction between the two is greatly improved, significantly superior to that reported in known literature, laying a foundation for the scale-up application of this method. Secondly, the catalyst of the present invention is novel and is in-situ prepared from
phosphate ester and alkylaluminum
hydride, with high
catalytic efficiency and good selectivity. Finally, the conversion of the
dihydropyran intermediate to
cyclohexenone is achieved through a water-oil two-phase process, simplifying the process and the post-treatment process, and realizing the recycling of the acid catalyst.