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The defossilization of the chemical industry is accelerated by the shift from petroleum- to biomass-based feedstocks. At the center stage are bioderived furans, from which valuable platform chemicals ...

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The defossilization of the chemical industry is accelerated by the shift from petroleum- to biomass-based feedstocks. At the center stage are bioderived furans, from which valuable platform chemicals ...

The defossilization of the chemical industry is accelerated by the shift from petroleum- to biomass-based feedstocks. At the center stage are bioderived furans, from which valuable platform chemicals ...

The precise manipulation of unfunctionalized hydrocarbons remains a fundamental challenge in chemical synthesis and catalysis. Here an organocatalytic asymmetric hydroxylation of bicyclobutanes with a...

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Halogen bonding has been established as a promising tool in organocatalysis. Asymmetric processes are nevertheless scarce, and their applications are limited to a few studies applying chiral halogen b...

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Bioderived furans play a pivotal role in advancing defossilized chemical pathways. The complete reduction of furans currently relies on impractical metal-catalyzed hydrogenations at high pressures and temperatures. In addition, the Birch reduction of unbiased furans to 2,5-dihydrofurans remains an unsolved synthetic challenge. Herein, we report a mild Bro̷nsted acid-catalyzed reduction of furans to 2,5-dihydro- and/or tetrahydrofuran derivatives using silanes as reducing agents. In particular, the first formal Birch reduction of furan itself is achieved. Mechanistic investigations reveal an intricate behavior of HFIP as the crucial solvent, preventing the intrinsic polymerization behavior of furans under acidic conditions and introducing additional driving force by specific product binding.

Nature Reviews Chemistry, Published online: 31 January 2025; doi:10.1038/s41570-025-00688-5Fifteen years ago, an analysis of drug molecules moving through the stages of clinical development suggested that increased three-dimensional character was a marker…