Benzofuran is the heterocyclic compound consisting of fused benzene and furan rings. This colourless liquid is a component of coal tar. Benzofuran is the structural nucleus (parent compound) of many related compounds with more complex structures. For example, psoralen is a benzofuran derivative that occurs in several plants.
Production
Benzofuran is extracted from coal tar. It is also obtained by dehydrogenation of 2-ethylphenol.[2]
Laboratory methods
Benzofurans can be prepared by various methods in the laboratory. Notable examples include:
^Kusurkar, R. S.; Bhosale, D. K. (1990). "Novel Synthesis of Benzosubstituted Benzofurans Via Diels-Alder Reaction". Synthetic Communications. 20 (1): 101–109. doi:10.1080/00397919008054620.
^Fürstner, Alois & Davies, Paul (2005). "Heterocycles by PtCl2-Catalyzed Intramolecular Carboalkoxylation or Carboamination of Alkynes". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 127 (43): 15024–15025. doi:10.1021/ja055659p. hdl:11858/00-001M-0000-0025-AA5A-1. PMID16248631.