Preparation of 5-Substituted-2-Furaldehydes

The majority of the woric presented in this chapter was published in a special Howard E. Zimmerman Memorial Issue [94]. This work was published to help celebrate the life and many contributions of Howard E. Zimmerman. 

Widespread applications of luran-containing derivatives can be found in a wide range of chemical industries such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, dyes, fossil fuels, photosensitizers, cosmetics, and even in agrochemicals [95]. This rich variety of applicability is attributed to the preparation of numerous furan derivatives. In general, the preparation methods for these derivatives consist of two approaches, ring construction and derivatization of preformed furan rings. Among these, the latter case is a more readily accessible route since many of these derivatives are commercially available. 

It is significant that the luran moiety is an interesting structural unit playing a prominent role especially in natural products that show a wide range of biological 

Despite the present methodologies, there is still a need to introduce a convenient route for the preparation of a variety of 5-substituted furaldehydes. We reported an alternative synthetic route providing a unique way of preparing highly functionalized 2-furaldehydes under mild conditions. 

Our chemistry was focused on the utilization of organozinc reagents that were readily accessible. It is well known that the use of organozinc reagents is 

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