We envisioned that by performing an oxidative cyclisation using a urea as the nucleophile, we might be able to effect a subsequent aza-Michael addition on the resulting spirocyclic dienone derivative, leading to formation of a spirotricyclic derivative containing an embedded 1,2-diamine in a single operation (Figure ). While the intramolecular aza-Michael reaction of amides, carbamates and sulfonamides to cyclohexadienones has been widely exploited in biomimetic and other syntheses, there is to our knowledge only one example of a urea acting as a nucleophile, and this involved sequential dearomatisation and urea formation/cyclisation reactions.