ZnCl2, ZnI2 and TiCl4 supported on silica gel are compared with their non-supported counterparts in the reactions of furan with acrylonitrile, 2-chloroacrylonitrile and methyl acrylate. The results obtained depend on the nature of both the dienophile and the catalyst. Whereas ZnCl2 and ZnI2 supported on silica gel lead to very good results with both nitriles and TiCl4 supported on silica gel cannot be used with these dienophiles, ZnCl2 and TiCl4 supported on silica gel are better catalysts when methyl acrylate is used as a dienophile. ZnCl2 and ZnI2 supported on silica gel can be recovered and reused in the reactions with nitriles, but only the first catalyst is recoverable in the reactions of methyl acrylate. ZnCl2 supported on silica gel is the catalyst with a wider applicability in these reactions with furan.