Stepwise radical cation Diels-Alder reaction via multiple pathways

Herein we disclose the radical cation Diels-Alder reaction of aryl vinyl ethers by electrocatalysis, which is triggered by an oxidative SET process. The reaction clearly proceeds in a stepwise fashion, which is a rare mechanism in this class. We also found that two distinctive pathways, including "direct" and "indirect", are possible to construct the Diels-Alder adduct.