Synthesis of Thienyl‐Substituted Dihydrofuran Compounds Promoted by Manganese(III) Acetate

Radical cyclization reactions of both aliphatic 1,3‐diones 1a and 1b and of cyclic 1,3‐diones 1c – 1e with 2‐thienyl‐ and 3‐thienyl‐substituted alkenes 2a – 2d in the presence of manganese(III) acetate were investigated. Thienyl‐substituted dihydrofurans 3 were obtained with moderate to high yields ( Table 1 – 3 ). Also, the favorable effect of the thienyl substituent on the intermediate carbocation stability was evaluated by comparison with a phenyl substituent.