A series of 5-benzoyl-2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-4-phenyl-4,5-dihydrofuran-3-carbonitrile derivatives were prepared in good yields via three-component reaction of 3-(cyanoacetyl)indole with various aromatic aldehydes and N-phenacyl pyridinium bromide in the presence of potassium carbonate as green and readily available catalyst under solvent-free conditions. This ecofriendly protocol offers several advantages such as a cost-effective procedure with excellent yield, simple workup, recovery and reusability of catalyst. The synthesized compounds were also evaluated for their antioxidant activity by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay. Keywords: 4,5-dihydrofurans, N-phenacyl pyridinium bromid, solvent-free, antioxidant
