1,2-Dibromoethyl Acetate, a Reagent for Feist-Benary Condensations

Feist-Benary condensations1,2 to form furans are usually carried out by reacting an á-halo aldehyde and a β-keto ester under basic conditions. However, yields are often poor, and the main product is often a dihydrofuranol3 requiring subsequent acid-catalysed dehydration to form the furan. The α-halo acetaldehyde is also difficult to prepare free of water when anhydrous reaction conditions are desired.