Most chiral chroman derivatives have attracted great interest because of their important biological activities and their applications as intermediates for the synthesis of many important heterocyclic compounds.

A series of isochromanic derivatives, 3-alkoxy(phenoxy)-1-phenyl-6,7-methylenedioxyisochromans and 3-alkoxy(phenoxy)-1,1-dimethyl-6,7-methylenedioxyisochromans were synthesized from 1-alkoxy-3-(3,4-methylenedioxy)phenyl-2-propanol and 1-phenoxy-3-(3,4-methylenedioxy)phenyl-2-propanol by the oxa-Pictet-Spengler reaction in 50%～90% yields.

Studies on the synthesis and antiinflammatoryactivity of novel 7-methanesulfonylamino-6-phenoxy-chromanone derivatives;