[GRAPHICS]A novel approach to coumarin derivatives has been developed starting from readily available 2-(1-hydroxyprop-2-ynyl)phenols, based on an unprecedented palladium-catalyzed dicarbonylation process. Reactions were carried out in the presence of catalytic amounts of PdI2 in conjunction with an excess of KI in MeOH as the solvent at room temperature and under 90 atm of CO to give 3-[(methoxycarbonyl)-methyl]coumarins in good to high isolated yields (62-87%).
Phytotoxic Potential and Biological Activity of Three Synthetic Coumarin Derivatives as New Natural-Like Herbicides
synthetic coumarins 1-3 were also in vitro assayed on seedlings growth of the model species Arabidopsis thaliana to identify the possible physiological targets. All molecules strongly affected seed germination and root growth of both weeds. Interestingly, the effects of syntheticcoumarins on weed germination were higher than template natural coumarin, pointing out ED50 values ranging from 50-115 µM. Moreover