Trityl ethers are selectively cleaved by cerium(III) chloride in high yields in refluxing acetonitrile under neutral reaction conditions. The method is compatible with other acid sensitive functional groups like acetonide, acetate, benzoate, BOC, Cbz, benzyl, TBDPS, PMB, allyl, methyl and tetrahydropyranyl ethers present in the molecule.
Scandium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate is found to catalyze efficiently the O-glycosidation of 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-d-glucal with various alcohols and phenols to afford the corresponding 2,3-unsaturated glycosides in excellent yields with good anomeric selectivity.
Synthesis of thiol esters from acyl chlorides and thiols in the presence of activated zinc is described. The recovery of zinc and its reuse makes the procedure more economic.
A simple, efficient, stereo- and regio-selective method for the synthesis of optically active 2-azido-1-phenylethanols by asymmetric reduction of 2-azidoacetophenones with in situ generated, oxazaborolidine-borane complexes in THF, is described. This new method appears to be an alternative to the classical methods previously reported.