2,3-Dihydrofurans as Potential Cytotoxic and Antibacterial Agents: Tandem Knoevenagel-Michael Cyclization for the Synthesis of 2,3-Dihydrofurans by Using alpha-Tosyloxy Ketone Precursors

Novel 2,3-dihydrofuran derivatives were synthesized through a tandem Knoevenagel-Michael cyclization in good yield by reacting alpha-tosyloxy ketone, 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione, and various aldehydes in the presence of phthalazine in acetonitrile. These compounds were subjected to in vitro antibacterial screening against eight micro-organisms by using diffusion method and also in vitro cytotoxicity screening against four human cancerous cell lines by applying MTT assay. Some of the compounds showed impressive activities.