The Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions of 3-bromo-2(5H)-furanones with a variety of arylboronic acids, promoted by microwave heating, efficiently generate 3-aryl-2(5H)-furan ones. This remarkably rapid process serves as the foundation for a simple method to rapidly construct 3-aryl-2(5H)-furanone libraries. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.