Synthesis and Bioevaluation Study of Benzofuran Linked Tetralones as Antimitotic Agent

: A series of new benzofuran linked tetralones (5a-h) have been prepared by chalcone route of Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction in the presence of sodium hydroxide, 1-(benzofuran-6-yl)-ethanone (1) reacts with substituted benzaldehyde (2a-h) followed by cyclopropanation of 1-(benzofuran-6-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (3a-h) with trimethylsulfoxonium iodide (TMSOI) in the presence of sodium hydride and Friedel-Craft’s intramolecular cyclization reaction of benzofuran-6-yl(2-phenylcyclopropyl)methanone (4a-h) in the presence of anhyd. stannic chloride and acetic anhydride. The target molecules were characterized by spectral and elemental analysis and also screened for their antimitotic activity by onion root method. Taken together, our results indicated that among the entire synthesized analogues, the two new compounds 5e and 5f bearing electron donating methoxy group on para and 3,4,5-position of the phenyl moiety respectively exhibits even good antimitotic activity than other compounds.