As heterogeneous catalysts and nanoparticle support materials, CNTs have attracted great interest in organic chemistry. This paper reports facile CuO/CNTs-catalyzed cyclization to form furan derivatives from electron-deficient alkynes and α-hydroxy ketones. It represents a facile synthetic route, and the eco-friendly catalyst can be easily separated by filtration and reused.
A new practical and economical process for the synthesis of substituted furan derivatives has been developed by an FeCl3-catalyzed reaction of α-hydroxy ketones with activated alkynes. This methodology represents a highly efficient synthetic route to electron-deficient furans for which catalytic approaches are scarce. Furthermore, this transformation is associated with readily available substrates