Synthesis of 2,5-dihydrofurans via alkylidene carbene insertion reactions

Abstract

The insertion reaction of alkylidene carbenes is demonstrated to be an effective method for the synthesis of 2,5-dihydrofuran ring systems. The best results have been obtained on substrates containing electron-withdrawing substituents, which appear less prone to the competing rearrangement reaction. This insight has led to the development of a new method for the synthesis of the core structure of the squalestatin–zaragozic acid natural products.