An Efficient Synthesis of 3-Benzyl-2H-Chromenes as Potential Antipicornavirus Agents

The 3-benzyl-2H-chromenes (3 a-d), designed as potential inhibitors of picornavirus infections, were synthesized by a simple and convenient three-step procedure starting from the O-alkylation of the appropriate 2-(hydroxymethyl)phenols with 1-bromo-3-phenylpropan-2-ones. The resulting ethers (1 a-d) were converted to the corresponding triphenylphosphonium bromides (2 a-d) and finally cyclized by an intramolecular Wittig reaction.