Hexafluoroisopropanol as the Acid Component in the Passerini Reaction: One-Pot Access to β‑Amino Alcohols

A new Passerini-type reaction in which hexafluoroisopropanol functions as the acid component is reported. The reaction tolerates a broad range of isocyanides and aldehydes, and the formed imidates can be reduced toward β-amino alcohols under mild and metal-free conditions. In addition, the imidate products were shown to undergo an unprecedented retro-Passerini-type reaction under microwave conditions, providing valuable mechanistic information about the Passerini reaction and its variations.