Highly substituted lactone/ester-containing furan library by the palladium-catalyzed carbonylation of hydroxyl-substituted 3-iodofurans.

Highly substituted lactone- and ester-containing furans have been prepared by the efficient palladium-catalyzed intramolecular cyclocarbonylation or intermolecular carboalkoxylation, respectively, of hydroxyl-containing 3-iodofurans, readily prepared by the iodocyclization of 2-(1-alkynyl)-2-alken-1-ones in the presence of various diols.