Base‐Promoted [4 + 2] Annulation for the Synthesis of Tri‐Aryl Substituted α‐Pyrones

A transition‐metal‐free procedure for synthesizing tri‐aryl substituted α ‐pyrones has been developed. It involves conjugate addition, CO bond formation, and CO bond cleavage. This procedure provides an efficient protocol for the synthesis of multisubstituted α ‐pyrones from readily available starting materials. Notable features of this program are high atom economy and transition‐metal‐free.