Novel Synthesis of Oxygenated Coumarins from Substituted Phenols Mediated by Vinyl Triphenylphosphonium Salt Under Microwave Irradiation

Protonation of the highly reactive 1:1 intermediates produced in the reaction between triphenylphosphine and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate(DMAD) by substituted phenols lead to vinyl triphenylphosphonium salts, which undergo aromatic electrophilic substitution reaction with a phenolate conjugate base to produce 4-carboxymethyl coumarins in fairly highly yields.