A series of benzo[b]furan derivatives having a five-membered heterocyclic substituent at the 2-position were prepared from 2-(1-chloro-2-formylvinyl)benzo[b]furans (2) and 2-(4-alkylcarbamoylbuta-1,3-dienyl)benzo[b]furans. These 2-heterocyclic benzo[b]furans were evaluated for their cysteinyl leukotriene receptor (cysLT1, cysLT2) inhibitory activity. Several compounds showed moderate inhibition...

Enantioselective hydrogenation of furans and benzofurans remains a challenging task. We report the hydrogenation of 2- and 3-substituted furans by using iridium catalysts that bear bicyclic pyridine-phosphinite ligands. Excellent enantioselectivities and high conversions were obtained for monosubstituted furans with a 3-alkyl or 3-aryl group. Furans substituted at the 2-position and 2,4-disubst...

A new disconnection toward tri- and tetrasubstituted furans has been conceptualized and demonstrated. A mild, base-mediated reaction of an allenoate pronucleophile with α-halo ketones/dicarbonyl compounds results in a Csp2-alkylation/enolization/O-vinylation sequence to ultimately afford substituted furan derivatives. The reaction offers a broad scope, provides a facile access to alkyl and aryl...

An enantioselective hydrogenation of disubstituted furans has been developed by using a chiral ruthenium catalyst with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. This reaction converts furans into valuable enantioenriched disubstituted tetrahydrofurans.

Furans and their derivatives are well-known chemical building blocks common in plant biomass, and are abundantly used in food, medicines and industrial processes. As a bio-renewable resource, obtainable from the abundant and inexpensive lignocellulosic biomass, there is a growing interest in their study, physico-chemical characterization and application. Due to their biological origin, there is...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins and furans are persistent organic pollutants with well-known toxicity and carcinogenic activity. These organic pollutants have the tendency to bioaccumulate, present little or no biodegradation and subsequently, could cause a menace to the ecosystems and human health. This review discusses the occurrence, fate an...

Neutral, stable and luminescent metallacycles decorated with furan units, a 2D rectangle with four furans and a 3D trigonal prism with six furans, were synthesized from readily accessible starting materials through a fac-Re(CO)(3)-directed approach.

The [4+2] cycloaddition of 3-alkoxyfurans with Nsubstituted maleimides provides the first general route for preparing endo-cantharimides. Unlike the corresponding reaction with 3H furans, the reaction can tolerate a broad range of 2-substitued furans including alkyl, aromatic, and heteroaromatic groups. The cycloaddition products were converted into a range of cantharimide products with promisi...

Various furans are considered as valuable platform chemicals as they can be derived from plant biomass. Yet, for their exploitation, follow-up chemistry is required. Here we demonstrate that Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) can be used as biocatalysts for the selective oxidation of several furans, including 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) and furfural. A total of 15 different BVMOs were ...

Phoenix Services, Inc., owns and operates the Baltimore Regional Medical Waste Incinerator in Baltimore, MD. New regulations for dioxins and furans imposed a limit that was considerably below historical emission levels. To determine a method to comply with the new dioxin/furan regulations, Phoenix Services performed trials with powdered activated carbon (PAC). Although the results with carbon w...