2- Methyl dihydrofuran

Laurencia spectabilis this species, harvested on the coast of Oregon, contains laurencione, a derivative with five carbon atoms in equilibrium between a diketonic linear form, 5-hydroxy-2,3-pentanedione, and the corresponding cyclical hemiketal, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-dihydrofuran-3-one. Laurencione dimerizes on a silica gel column in spiro-bis-pinnaketal, which had been previously isolated from Laurencia pinnatifida (Wiedenfeld, Knoch, and Koch, 1985) and it is possible that the three cyclic derivatives of Laurencia chilensis are artifacts due to the polymerization of laurencione. 

The abundant natural compound linalool (3) is an attractant for the Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata. Two isomeric derivatives of linalool, (Z)-5-(1.5-dimethylhex-4-enyldiene)-dihydrofuran-2-one (4) and ( )-5-(1.5-dimethylhex-4-enyldiene)-dihydrofuran-2-one (5), were synthesized and were found to be moderate antifeedants against the CPB. A lactone derived from linalool strongly affected the properties of the original compound linalool, which is an attractant to the CPB. A similar effect is seen with the activity of either linalool (3) or 4-isobutyl-5-isopropyl-5-methyl-dihydrofuran-2-one (6) to aphids. Compared to linalool, the lactone reduced the total time the aphid spent on the leaf.16... 

A Methylated dihydrofurans as donors. When studying the primary processes in the radiation chemistry of DNA, the dihydrofuran derivates are of special interest. As shown in Figure 10, enol-ethers are important transients in the heterolysis of the C4 radical in Additionally, enol-ether radical-... 

The 7, i5-unsaturated alcohol 99 is cyclized to 2-vinyl-5-phenyltetrahydro-furan (100) by exo cyclization in aqueous alcohol[124]. On the other hand, the dihydropyran 101 is formed by endo cyclization from a 7, (5-unsaturated alcohol substituted by two methyl groups at the i5-position. The direction of elimination of /3-hydrogen to give either enol ethers or allylic ethers can be controlled by using DMSO as a solvent and utilized in the synthesis of the tetronomycin precursor 102[125], The oxidation of the optically active 3-alkene-l,2-diol 103 affords the 2,5-dihydrofuran 104 in high ee. It should be noted that /3-OH is eliminated rather than /3-H at the end of the reac-tion[126]. 

Dihydrofuran (376) and 2,5-dihydrofuran (377) react with nitrile oxides to give furo[2,3-6 ]isoxazoles (378) and furo[3,4-rf]isoxazoles (379), respectively, as cycloadducts. The double bonds of furan, pyrrole and thiophene also react when the nitrile oxide is generated in situ. Thus furan and benzonitrile oxide gave (380), and with 2-methyl-2-oxazoline the cycloadduct (381) was obtained (71AG(E)810). These and related cycloadditions are discussed in Chapter 4.36. 

The final variation of the Feist-Benary furan synthesis encompasses reactions of 1,3-dicarbonyls with 1,2-dibromoethyl acetate (52). For example, treatment of ethyl acetoacetate (9) with sodium hydride followed by addition of 52 at 50°C yields dihydrofuran 53. The product can be easily converted into the corresponding 2-methyl-3-furoate upon acid catalyzed elimination of the acetate, thus providing another strategy for the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted furans. 

From the copper-catalyzed reaction of methyl 2-diazo-3-oxobutyrate 57 a with Z-3-methoxystyrene, dihydrofuran 59 (formed with retention of olefin configuration) and butadienol 60 result130). Such an acyclic by-product also occurs when benzofuran is the cycloaddition partner. In that case, however, regioisomers 61 and 62, arising from the connection of the former diazo carbon with either the 2- or 3-position of the heterocycle, are obtained similarly, two isomeric dihydrofurans 63 and 64 are formed under Cu(hfacac)2 catalysis130). 

In 1985, Tsuji s group carried out a Pd-catalyzed reaction of propargyl carbonate with methyl acetoacetate as a soft carbonucleophile under neutral conditions to afford 4,5-dihydrofuran 109 [89-91]. The resulting unstable 109 readily isomerized to furan 110 under acidic conditions. In addition, they also reported formation of disubstituted furan 112 via a Pd-catalyzed heteroannulation of hydroxy propargylic carbonate 111 [92], Presumably, an allenylpalladium complex (c/. 114) was the key intermediate. 

Thiamin (vitamin B-l, 177) when photolysed, gives preparations having a characteristic odour. Photolysis of an aqueous solution with a high-pressure mercury lamp is reported to give the pyrimidine (178) [ 113]. Other work used irradiation at 254 nm and concentrated on the approximately 0.1% yield of ether-soluble odoriferous products. As many as nine compounds have been identified (179), (180), (181), 2-methyl-3-formyl-4,5-dihydrofuran, 3-acetyl-4,5-dihydrofuran, 4-oxopentyl formate, 3-formyl-5-hydroxypentan-2-one, 3-mercapto-2-methyl-4,5-dihydrofuran and bis(4,5-dihydro-2-methylfuran-3-yl)disulphide [114, 115]. 

Rats exposed to a fteptone-containing atmosphere excreted a variety of metabolites resulting from oxidative pathways [176]. The major metabolites were isomeric mono-alcohols and ketones, but small amounts of 2-ethyl-5-methyl-2,3-dihydrofuran (11.171, R = Et, R = Me, Fig. 11.22,a) and 5-ethyl-2-methyl-2,3-dihydrofuran (11.171, R = Me, R = Et) were also detected. These metabolites are believed to arise from 6-hydroxyheptan-3-one (11.170, R = Et, R = Me) and 5-hydroxyheptan-2-one (11.170, R = Me, R = Et). The postulated mechanism of formation of 2,3-dihydrofurans involves their equilibrium with the corresponding linear y-hydroxy ketones, as shown in Fig. 11.22,a. Such a reaction has been documented for linear y-hydroxy aldehydes [177],... 

As an example, a convenient preparation of methyl (E) and (Z)-4,4-dimethoxybutenoa-tes can be performed by anodic oxidation of furfuryl alcohol, furfural or furoic acid via a dimethoxylated dihydrofuran intermediate (Scheme 132) [157]. 

DIHYDROFURAN DIVINYL ETHER METHACROLEIN 2-BUTYNE-1,4-DIOL ganna-BUTYROLACTONE cis-CROTONIC ACID trans-CROTONIC ACID METHACRYLIC ACID METHYL ACRYLATE VINYL ACETATE ACETIC ANHYDRIDE SUCCINIC ACID DIGLYCOLIC ACID MALIC ACID TARTARIC ACID n-BUTYRONITRILE ISOBUTYRONITRILE ACETONE CYANOHYDRIN... 

Different heterocycles, such as furan, 2,3-dihydrofuran, iV-methylpyrrole, thiophene, iV-methylindol or 5-methyl-l,3-triazole, were deprotonated at the a-position with lithium and a catalytic amount of naphthalene or anthracene (1-7%) in THF at room temperature to give, after trapping with methyl iodide, the corresponding methylated products in 56-93%242. 

Reaction of ketoxime 336 with 5-aryl-2,3-dihydrofuran-2,3-diones afforded 4-methyl-1,2-dihydroquinazoline 337 in 70-75% yields (equation 146) . ... 

Dimethylene-2,3-dihydrofuran derivatives, which are produced by fluoride-induced 1,4-conjugative elimination of trimethylsilyl acetate from the [(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-3-furan precursor 207, undergo subsequent [4-1-4] dimerization reactions to produce cycloocta[l,2-3 6,5-. ]difuran derivatives as a mixture of isomers (Equation 137) <1995JA841 >. A methyl substituent at the 3-methylene position was found to retard the rate of dimerization, an observation which is consistent with the proposed two-step mechanism involving the initial formation of a diradical intermediate in the rate-determining step (Table 16). 

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