A Review of Classical and Advanced Methodologies for Benzocoumarin Synthesis

Coumarins belong to a worthwhile family of heterocycles that exist naturally and/or synthetically. Benzocoumarins are a type of extended structure of coumarins in which the coumarin core is fused with the benzene ring at 7,8-, 6,7-, 5,6-, or 3,4-positions. Benzocoumarins have a wide range of applications, especially in organic and pharmaceutical chemistries, which makes them of particular interest. Serious efforts have been undertaken over the past decades not only to isolate them from natural resources but also to develop efficient and new approaches to synthesize benzocoumarins with novel or better biomedical properties. Based on the scientific literature, this study outlines the classical methodologies and their advancements that are applied in the synthesis of benzocoumarins.