Vicinal dianions of diethyl α-aroylsuccinates: preparation of functionalized-2,3-dihydrofurans and -furans, and diaxial 2,4-diaryl-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes

An efficient one-pot approach for the regio- and diastereoselective synthesis of trans-dihydrofuran derivatives: cytotoxicity and DNA-binding studies

A facile one-pot, three component strategy has been developed for the construction oftrans-2,3-dihydrofuran derivatives. All the synthesized compounds have been evaluated for their cytotoxic activity.

Copper-catalyzed cascade reactions of α,β-unsaturated esters with keto esters

A copper-catalyzed cascade reaction of α,β-unsaturated esters with keto esters is reported. It features a copper-catalyzed reductive aldolization followed by a lactonization. This method provides a facile approach to prepare γ-carboxymethyl-γ-lactones and δ-carboxymethyl-δ-lactones under mild reaction conditions.

Diastereoselective multicomponent synthesis and anti-HSV-1 evaluation of dihydrofuran-fused derivatives

Enolizable 6-membered cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls undergo an efficient and diastereoselective domino condensation/addition/heterocyclization reaction with arylaldehydes and phenacyl chloride, producing highly substituted dihydrofuran-fused derivatives. Ring size of the cyclic 1,3-dicarbonyls and the presence of at least one keto group are crucial to the reaction's success. The new compounds were evaluated in vitro for antiviral activity against herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1). Interestingly, some of them appeared able to interfere with HSV-1 replication, without detection of cytotoxic effects.

The potential antioxidant activity of 2,3-dihydroselenophene, a prototype drug of 4-aryl-2,3-dihydroselenophenes

Here we present our results in palladium cross-coupling reaction of aryl boronic acids with 4-iodo-2,3-dihydroselenophene derivatives. The cross-coupled products were obtained in satisfactory yields. A dehydrogenation of 4,5-diphenyl-2,3-dihydroselenophene was activated by DDQ and the 2,3-diarylselenophene was obtained in good yield. Regarding the antioxidant activity, the selenophene derivative 3a was effective in counteracting lipid and protein oxidation as well as scavenging ABTS radical. The findings of the present study indicate that 3a is a prototype for future drug development programs to treat disorders mediated by reactive oxygen species.

Stereocontrolled Assembly of Tetrasubstituted Tetrahydrofurans: A Concise Synthesis of Virgatusin

The condensation of substituted allylsiloxanes with aldehydes leads to the highly stereoselective construction of 2,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted tetrahydrofurans. With electron-rich aryl and alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes as substrates, the stereochemical outcome at C5 can be dictated by appropriate choice of Lewis acid. The reaction has been applied to a concise (nine step) synthesis of (+)-virgatusin (ent-1). [reaction: see text]