An organocatalyzed highly regioselective one-pot approach to the synthesis of tetrahydrobenzofuranones

An organocatalyzed highly regioselective synthesis of substituted tetrahydrobenzofuran-4-ones based on the ring opening followed by cyclization of epoxides with enamines of 1,3-cyclohexanediones in a domino fashion is described. It is a high yielding (74–93%) synthetic protocol tolerant to a wide range of substrates. Ambient temperature, organocatalytic approach, atom-economy, and formation of water as the only by-product are some of the attractive features of the present methodology.