Chemoselective cascade reaction of glycidic esters with 2-naphthol derivatives initiated by stable radical cation salt

Preparation of Dihydronaphthofurans from α-Hydroxyl Ketones via a One-Pot Multicomponent Reaction Based on Heyns Rearrangement

Polysubstituted 1,2-dihydronaphthofurans were efficiently obtained in high yields and good diastereoselectivities with readily available substrates. The reaction proceeds smoothly via a series of tandem reactions, including Heyns rearrangement, oxidation, Friedel-Crafts reaction, and cyclization. The high stereoselectivity of the reaction is ascribed to the activation of the imine via an intramolecular hydrogen bond. Air is directly used as the oxidation medium, which makes the reaction safe and easy to perform. Moreover, the reaction features multiple components, which ensures the diversity of products.

Dihydronaphthofurans: synthetic strategies and applications

Dihydronaphthofurans (DHNs) are an important class of arene ring-fused furans which are widely found in many natural and non-natural products and drug candidates with relevant biological and pharmacological activities. Furthermore, vinylidene-naphthofurans exhibit photochromic properties when exposed to UV or sun light at room temperature. For these reasons, a vast array of synthetic procedures for the preparation of dihydronaphthofurans including annulation of naphthols with various reagents, cycloaddition reactions ([3 + 2], [4 + 1] and Diels-Alder), intramolecular transannulation, Friedel-Crafts, Wittig, Claisen rearrangement, neophyl rearrangement and other reactions under various conditions have been developed over the past decades. This review aims to describe the different strategies developed so far for the synthesis of dihydronaphthofurans and their applications. After a brief introduction to the types of dihydronaphthofurans and their biological activities, the different synthetic approaches such as chemical, photochemical, and electrochemical, methods are described and organized on the basis of the catalysts and the other reagents employed in the syntheses. The subsequent section focuses on biological and pharmacological applications and photochromic properties of the target compounds.

"One-pot" access to dihydrofurans via tandem oxidative difunctionalization and ring contraction of aminopyrans

An operationally simple and efficient protocol for the construction of dihydrofuran derivatives has been accomplished via a sequential addition of N-chlorosuccinimide and a base to 2-amino-4H-pyran derivatives in alcohol medium. The one-pot protocol proceeding via tandem oxidative difunctionalization and ring contraction provides an entirely new strategy for the construction of the dihydrofuran skeleton.