Regioselective and Stereoselective Cyclizations of Chloropolyols in Water: Rapid Synthesis of Hydroxytetrahydrofurans

A concise, stereoselective synthesis of functionalized tetrahydrofuranols has been developed that involves heating readily available chloropolyols in water. These reactions are operationally straightforward and chemoselective for the formation of tetrahydrofurans, obviating the need for complicated protecting group strategies. The efficiency of this process is demonstrated in a short asymmetric synthesis of the natural product (+)-goniothalesdiol.