An Unexpected 2,3-Dihydrofuran Derivative Ring Opening Initiated by Electrophilic Bromination: Scope and Mechanistic Study.

An unexpected 2,3-dihydrofuran ring opening process at the C(4)-C(5) bond has been developed. N-Bromosuccinimide and DABCO were used as the electrophilic halogen source and the catalyst, respectively. Mechanistic study indicates that moisture in the solvent might contribute to the reaction. The resulting brominated product could be further oxidized to yield a synthetically valuable 1,2-diketo building block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]