Cycloaddition of "N-Acyliminium ion pools" with carbon-carbon multiple bonds

N-Acyliminium ion pools, which are generated from α-silyl carbamates, were found to react with a variety of alkenes and alkynes to give the corresponding cycloadducts. The reaction with styrene derivatives gave rise to the formation of a significant amount of polymeric products. The use of micromixing, however, resulted in a significant increase in the yield of the cycloadduct at the expense of the polymer. Mechanistic studies indicated that a concerted mechanism seems to be most likely for alkyl-substituted alkenes, whereas a stepwise mechanism seems to be reasonable for aryl-substituted alkenes.