A facile approach to the synthesis of chiral 2-substituted benzofurans

An effective route is described for optically active chiral 2-substituted benzofurans direct from carboxylic acids. This method has allowed the preparation of [alpha]-alkyl-2-benzofuranmethanamines from N-protected [alpha]-amino acids without sensible racemization phenomena and it has proceeded under mild conditions with the help of microwave irradiation.