5-Acetoxymethyl-3-(4-bromophenyl)-2, 5-dihydrofuran-2-one previously described as highly antifungally active was found to provide the corresponding 5-methylene derivative via an unusual DMSO-promoted elimination of the ester group at C5 under antifungal assay conditions. Since the latter possessed nearly the same antifungal effect as that originally reported for the former, the 5-acetoxymethyl furanone just served as a precursor of the ...