A vicarious, one-pot synthesis of benzo- and naphthofurans: Applications to the syntheses of stereumene B and paeoveitols

An interesting albeit unexpected deviation during attempted Tanabe gamma-lactone annulation on 4-hydroxycyclohexanones has led to a general, one-pot synthesis of benzofurans and naphtho[2,3-b]furans from readily assembled precursors. The utility of this adaptable methodology has been demonstrated through concise syntheses of natural products, stereumene B, paeoveitol D and (+/-)-paeoveitol. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.