Biologically active molecule 2,3-benzofuran is an important category of heterocyclic compounds for pharmacological agents, which is usually produced via multistep organic synthesis routes under acidic, alkaline, or halogen conditions. It remains a challenge to develop a green approach for the production of 2,3-benzofuran. Herein, we report an unprecedent green synthesis of 2,3-benzofuran with co-production of styrene in the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene reaction over Sr2+ modified FeOx/SiO2 catalyst. Characterizations with O2-TPD, UV–Vis, XANES, and XRD demonstrate that the addition of Sr2+ increased the content of adsorbed oxygen and dispersion of the iron species. Kinetic investigations and DFT calculations reveal that firstly ethylbenzene reacted with oxygen adsorbed on the Fe3+ species to form the intermediate 2-ethylphenol, followed by selective oxidation of 2-ethylphenol to efficiently generate 2,3-benzofuran. These discoveries present an efficient pathway to produce 2,3-benzofuran and offer novel insights into the synthesis of furan rings, thereby contributing to advancement in chemical synthesis processes.

中文翻译：

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气固催化路线高效绿色合成2,3-苯并呋喃


生物活性分子2,3-苯并呋喃是一类重要的药物杂环化合物，通常在酸性、碱性或卤素条件下通过多步有机合成路线生产。开发 2,3-苯并呋喃生产的绿色方法仍然是一个挑战。在此，我们报告了在 Sr2+ 改性 FeOx/SiO2 催化剂上乙苯选择性氧化反应中前所未有的绿色合成 2,3-苯并呋喃并联产苯乙烯。 O2-TPD、UV-Vis、XANES 和 XRD 表征表明，Sr2+ 的添加增加了吸附氧的含量和铁物质的分散。动力学研究和DFT计算表明，乙苯首先与Fe3+物种上吸附的氧反应形成中间体2-乙基苯酚，然后选择性氧化2-乙基苯酚有效生成2,3-苯并呋喃。这些发现提供了生产 2,3-苯并呋喃的有效途径，并为呋喃环的合成提供了新的见解，从而有助于化学合成工艺的进步。