Indium-Catalyzed Tandem Cyanomethylation/Cyclization of α-Alkynyl α,β-unsaturated Ketones with 3-Azido-2-methylbut-3-en-2-ol toward Trisubstituted Furans

Abstract An indium-catalyzed cyanomethylation of α-alkynyl α,β-unsaturated ketones with 3-azido-2-methylbut-3-en-2-ol is presented. Furan-substituted propanenitriles were produced in yields of 29–97%. The reaction involves a nucleophile addition/cycloisomerization process.