Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of Substituted Furo[2,3-b]pyrazines

A highly efficient method for the synthesis of diversely substituted furo[2,3-b]pyrazines has been elaborated. The Ag+- or iodine-mediated electrophilic cyclization of readily generated 5-chloro-3-substituted ethynyl-1-(4-methoxybenzyl)-pyrazin-2(1H)-ones affords substituted furo[2,3-b]pyrazines, which undergo various palladium catalyzed reactions to generate a library of difficult to attain diversely substituted furo[2,3-b]pyrazines.