Synthesis of substituted coumarins via Brønsted acid mediated condensation of allenes with substituted phenols or anisoles.

Coumarins were obtained from the condensation of electron-rich arenes with allenes in the presence of TfOH in good yield. Depending on the substituent pattern of allenes employed, the general synthetic method of 4-substituted and 3,4-disubstituted 3-arylcoumarins has been developed. Readily available allenes were employed as the three-carbon atom sources constituting the coumarin skeleton.