β-Oligofurans

An iterative cross-coupling strategy has led to the first synthesis of the β-oligofuran family. Every member of the series of dibrominated analogues has been accessed from the bifuran to the octafuran, along with representative diiodides, non-halogenated congeners and cyclic analogues. Solution phase spectra indicate rapid conformational interchange at ambient temperature. Whereas DFT calculations reveal the existence of several similar energy conformations, molecular structures from single crystal X-ray analyses exhibit common conformational motifs throughout the oligomeric series.