Recent advances in the synthesis of dibenzofurans

Abstract

This review reports recent accesses to the dibenzofuran nucleus described in the literature since 2008. This article starts with synthesizing dibenzofurans by creating the C–O bond of the furan ring. In the following section, we evoke the formation of dibenzofurans by cyclizing diarylether derivatives. The last part of this update concerns the construction of dibenzofurans from benzofuran or phenol derivatives. Representative examples showing the scope of these processes illustrate new approaches and biological activities of dibenzofurans. Reaction mechanisms explaining certain dibenzofuran formation are described, as suggested by their authors.