Palladium-Catalysed Isomerisation of 2-Vinylidenehydrofurans into 1,3-Dienes and some Aspects of their Reactivity

International audienceThe transformation of easily accessible 2-vinylidenehydrofurans into stable 1,3-dienes has been achieved by using catalytic amounts of palladium(0). These valuable compounds were then engaged in subsequent Diels-Alder reactions giving access to complex heterocyclic cores found in numerous natural products. A rationale for the regioselectivity of the Diels-Alder reactions with vinylfurans has been provided by DFT calculations