Regioselective Synthesis of Functionalized Dihydropyrones via the Petasis Reaction

A novel synthesis methodology for the construction of functionalized dihydropyrones has been developed with amines, glyoxylic acid, and 4-substituted-1,2-oxaborol-2­(5H)-ols from the Petasis reaction. Mechanistic investigation indicated the intermolecular S_N2 cyclization to provide 3,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-ones (3,6-DHP) and 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-ones (5,6-DHP) in one step with moderate to excellent yields.