Furanyl Alcohols in FC Reaction of Arenes

What is it about?

Furyl alcohols react with arenes by a variant of Friedel-Crafts reaction to give benzyl furans with fairly satisfying yields. The reaction is mediated by Tf2O and occurs with reduced times in the presence of Ph3PO. Some prepared compounds exhibit a lignan-like backbone

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Why is it important?

The reaction is a variant of the Friedel-Crafts reaction, it is mediated by Tf2O and occurs with reduced times in the presence of Ph3PO. The process is simple, rapid and environmentally conscious, avoiding the use of excess amounts of acids or metal. The matter is of interest not only in the synthetic field but also in preparation of natural analogues.