Organo-Catalyzed Regio- and Geometry-Specific Construction of β-Hydroxyl-α-vinyl Carboxylic Esters: Substrate Scope, Mechanistic Insights, and Applications.

A green protocol has been developed for the synthesis of β-hydroxyl-α-vinyl carboxylic esters using aldehydes and α,β-unsaturated esters bearing an activated γ proton as starting materials under Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction conditions. Diverse β-hydroxyl-α-vinyl carboxylic esters have been synthesized regiospecifically in moderate to good yields with only E geometric selectivity. Other remarkable features include atom efficiency, environmental benignancy, and mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the reaction products could be readily converted into tetrahydrofuran, dihydrofuran, and furan derivatives.