A new chemical access for 3′-acetyl-4′-hydroxychalcones using borontrifluoride–etherate via a regioselective Claisen-Schmidt condensation and its application in the synthesis of chalcone hybrids

A new chemical access has been developed for the synthesis of 3′-acetyl-4′-hydroxychalcones from 1-(5-acetyl-2-hydroxy-phenyl)-ethanone and various substituted benzaldehydes via a regioselective Claisen-Schmidt condensation using borontrifluoride–etherate (BF3·OEt2) at room temperature, in good to excellent yields within 12–24 h. Application of this methodology has also been demonstrated in the synthesis of chalcone hybrids.