One-pot three-component reactions of methyl ketones, phenols and a nucleophile: An expedient way to synthesize densely substituted benzofurans

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.tet.2015.08.058

Three-component reactions of phenylglyoxal monohydrate, phenols, and indoles were developed with the aid of acid-catalyst, which produced various densely substituted benzofurans with good to excellent yields. On the basis of this observation, a one-pot, step-wise reaction was developed by using methyl ketones instead of using phenylglyoxal component in I₂/DMSO system. At last, three-component reaction offered a useful way to synthesize densely substituted benzofurans starting from simple and easily available substrates. The indole component can be replaced by some other nucleophiles, such as 1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene and thiophenol.