posted on 2018-07-23, 00:00authored byHtet Htet San, Shi-Jun Wang, Min Jiang, Xiang-Ying Tang
A catalytic,
metal-free O–H bond insertion of α-diazoesters
in water in the presence of B(C6F5)3·nH2O (2 mol %) was developed, affording
a series of α-hydroxyesters in good to excellent yields. The
reaction features easy operation and wide substrate scope, and importantly,
no metal is needed as compared with the conventional methods. Significantly,
this approach further expands the applications of B(C6F5)3 under water-tolerant conditions.