Phenyl furyl sulfides (3a-j) and phenyl furyl ethers (3k-n), which are useful in synthesizing furocondensed 3-ring compounds, can be synthesized by nucleophilic substitution of nitrofurans having electron withdrawal groups. In our experiments using 5-nitrofurans having electron withdrawal groups (2a-i), nucleophilic substitution readily occurred with the benzenethiolate anion of thiosalicylic acid