Direct access to substituted brendane derivatives by palladium-copper mediated cyclisation of endo-5-vinyl-2-norbornene. X-ray structure of the σ-π intermediate palladium complex. Further evolution (Baeyer-Villiger oxidation) to the quinane system

Ruthenium-catalyzed intramolecular homo-diels-alder reaction of alkyne-tethered norbornadienes. An entry to fused angular triquinanes

2-(pent-4-ynyl)norbornadienes undergo an intramolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition in the presence of (nbd)RuCl2(PPh3)2 as a catalyst affording annelated deltacyclenes in good to excellent yields. The usefulness of the reaction is illustrated by the straighforward conversion of pentacyclene 2a into the angularly fused triquinane 19.

Opening the [4 + 2 + 2] cycloadducts of bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienes (norbornadienes) to cis-fused bicyclo[5.3.0]decanes

Tetracyclo[5.4.0.0.(2,4)0(3,7)]undec-9-enes, prepared by the transition-metal-catalyzed [4 + 2 + 2] homo-Diels-Alder reactions of norbornadiene and 1,3-butadienes, can be opened using either acid-promoted or Zeise's dimer-mediated cyclopropane ring cleavage, ultimately leading to cis-fused bicyclo[5.3.0]decanes (perhydroazulenes). Stereoselective functionalization of the olefin unit in the tetracycloundecenes to an alcohol or diol prior to ring opening is tolerated by the Zeise's dimer ([Pt(C(2)H(4))Cl(2)](2)) catalyst to yield highly functionalized bicyclo[5.3.0]decanes, which form the core structure of numerous sesquiterpenes.