Tosylhydrazine mediated conjugate reduction and sequential reductive coupling cyclization: synthesis of 2-arylchromans

Tosylhydrazine mediated conjugate reduction of 2-hydroxyl chalcones and sequential reductive coupling cyclization is described. This is an unprecedented protocol and an extremely efficient method for a one-pot domino synthesis of 2-arylchromans in good to excellent yields from commercially available, cheap starting materials. More importantly, the two-step reactions can be easily controlled to afford dihydrochalcones or 2-arylchromans by the mole amounts of tosylhydrazine. Furthermore, the operational simplicity of the process and the high functional group tolerance are remarkable.