Synthesis and Biological Properties of Coumarin Derivatives. A Review

Coumarin and its derivatives are widely used as scaffolds in the synthesis of new heterocyclic systems. This review focuses on current developments in the synthesis of heterocyclic coumarin compounds. Numerous approaches especially involving nanoparticle catalysts have been developed to get new bioactive coumarin derivatives endowed with pharmacological and biological activities. The present work describes the reactivity and the new strategies using various catalysts for the synthesis of coumarin and its derivatives reported in the literature and their biological properties. This review aims to give a wide overview on synthetic methods, including conventional, environmental‐friendly and metal‐catalyzed reactions, leading to heterocyclic systems holding the coumarin core and presenting important biological activities.