Facile synthesis of 5-alkoxy-4-aryltetrahydrofuran-2-one using hypervalent iodine reagents

γ-Lactones are used as building blocks in the synthesis of several naturally occurring products and biologically active compounds. In this work, a method of constructing a γ-lactone ring with an oxygen atom substituted at the γ position, with a short reaction time, mild reaction conditions, simple operation, and stereoselectivity, was developed. Using this reaction, the synthesis of the γ-lactone ring with various substituents (mainly halogenated alkoxy groups) at the γ position is possible.