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Updated: Jan 5, 2026

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Published on: May 26, 2019
Synthesis of Butenolides via a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons Cascading Dimerization Reaction
Jack Everson1, Milton J Kiefel1
1Institute for Glycomics , Griffith University Gold Coast Campus , Southport , Queensland 4222 , Australia.
Abstract:
The efficient synthesis of a range of structurally related butenolides has been observed while we were exploring the substrate-scope of a Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons (HWE) reaction. While aliphatic aldehydes gave the expected HWE product, aromatic aldehydes furnished butenolides, resulting from the dimerization of the HWE product during desilylation of the initially formed HWE adduct. In addition to isolating butenolides in a high yield, we have also determined precisely when dimerization occurs.
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