The title compound and the corresponding dianion have been used as convenient precursors for substituted divinyl ketones in both carbo-and heterocyclization reactions in a one-pot three-step sequence leading to substituted carbo-and heterocyclic ring systems and for the construction of the 4-keto-2-alkenoate subunit, a common structural feature of a variety of natural compounds, respectively. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.