Chromium(II) salt mediated reductive transposition of an ester acyl group in ortho-O-acyl benzylic bromides: a ready access to unmasked ortho-hydroxybenzyl ketones and a new route to benzo[b]furans

Abstract

The mono-σ-bonded organochromium(III) complexes (A) derived from (1) rearrange internally into (B) through an acyl ester group transposition, selected experimental conditions allowing either a good access to the unmasked ortho-hydroxybenzyl ketones (2) or a new route to the 2-substituted benzo[b]furans (3).