5-Amino-2-furancarboxylic acid methyl ester undergoes a facile Diels-Alder cycloaddition with a variety of dienophiles to afford ring-opened cycloadducts that are readily dehydrated using BF3⊙ OEt2 to give polysubstituted anilines. In each case, the cycloaddition proceeds with high regioselectivity, with the electron-withdrawing group being located ortho to the amino group. The most favorable FMO interaction is between the HOMO of the furanamine ...
