Efficient access to 2,5-substituted tetrahydrofurans via a one-pot cyclization of di- and triepoxides

The one-pot addition and cyclization of 1,5-diepoxyhexane with a range of organolithium species provides efficient access to 2,5-substituted tetrahydrofurans (THFs), common structural motifs found in a range of natural products and pharmaceutical ingredients. Extension of this reaction to triepoxides has also been demonstrated to access adjacently linked bis-THF motifs in a single step.