Synthesis and properties of furan derivatives 2. Role of the halogen in RMgX in reactions with alkoxytetrahydrofurans

Heating 2-methoxytetrahydrofuran with ethylmagnesium bromide in benzene at reflux leads to the formation of 2-ethoxytetrahydrofuran and slight amounts of 4-methoxy-1-hexanol. Under analogous conditions, 2-ethoxytetrahydrofuran is quantitatively cleaved by methylmagnesium iodide to give 4-ethoxy-1-pentanol.For Communication 1, see [1]Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 592–594, May, 1992.