This paper describes an alternative method for the synthesis of 3‐organoselanylbenzo[b]furans through the intramolecular cyclization of 2‐alkynylphenols promoted by copper iodide and diorganyl diselenides. The cyclization reactions were carried out at room temperature in the absence of base and under air (open flask). This synthetic approach proved to be efficient with both diorganyl diselenides and 2‐alkynylphenols bearing electron‐neutral, electron‐donating, and electron‐withdrawing substituents. 2‐Phenyl‐3‐phenylselanylbenzo[b]furan was used as a synthetic precursor in organochalcogen–lithium exchange and bromination reactions, allowing the synthesis of functionalized benzo[b]furans in good yields.
This manuscript portrays the CuI-catalyzed Csp-chalcogen bond formation through cross-coupling reactions of propynyl esters and diorganyl dichalcogenides by using DMSO as solvent, at room temperature, under base-free and open-to-air atmosphere. Generally, the reactions have proceeded very smoothly, being tolerant to range of substituents present in both substrates, affording the novel 3-(organochalcogenyl)prop-2-yn-1-yl esters in moderate to good yields. Noteworthy, the 3-(butylselanyl)prop-2-yn-1-yl benzoate proved to be useful as synthetic precursor in palladium-catalyzed Suzuki and Sonogashira type cross-coupling reactions by replacing the carbon-chalcogen bond by new carbon-carbon bonds. Moreover, the 3-(phenylselanyl)prop-2-yn-1-yl benzoate has shown promising in vitro activity against glioblastoma cancer cells.
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