Efficient and mild synthesis of highly substituted 2,5-dihydrofuran and furan derivatives via stepwise reaction

An efficient and mild synthesis of highly substituted 2,5-dihydrofuran and furan derivatives from a variety of alkylidene malonates and 1,4-butyne-diol via one-pot reaction was applied. With various conditions of base amount, temperature and time applied to the reaction, the 2,5-dihydrofuran and the furan derivatives could be selectively obtained. Moreover, the formation of furan derivatives with 2,5-dihydrofuran derivatives as intermediates was also investigated. Some of these 2,5-dihydrofuran derivatives showed potent in vitro anti-tumor activities against HeLa cells.