Iron (III) Chloride Catalyzed Claisen Rearrangement Reaction of Allyloxyarenes under Microwave Conditions

The Claisen rearrangement is a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement which is an important method for new C-C bond formation in organic synthesis. This reaction is a typical thermal reaction that requires a high temperature and long reaction time. In this paper, the acceleration effects of the iron (III) chloride (FeCl3) catalyst and microwave irradiation during the Claisen rearrangement reaction of allyloxyarene derivatives are reported. The FeCl3 catalyst was able to initiate the reaction at low temperature and induced the subsequent cyclization reaction. The moderation of excellent yields was obtained in a short reaction time. The formation of complex ferric-arenes under microwave irradiation conditions to efficiently absorb the microwaves was expected and confirmed.