title: Synthesis of arylacetates from benzylic alcohols and oxalate esters through decarboxylative coupling.
abstract: Follow that dream: By combining a reversible transesterification between benzylic alcohols and dialkyl oxalates with catalytic decarboxylation of the resulting esters, a regiospecific C-C-bond-forming reaction to give α-arylacetates was achieved. In the overall process, CO2 and a volatile alcohol are the only byproducts. Various α-arylacetates were thus synthesized in high yields from easily accessible starting materials in the presence of catalytic amounts of Pd(OAc)2, dppp, and DABCO (see scheme).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Kaiserslautern, Erwin-Schrödinger-Strasse 54, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Grünberg
authors.forename: Lukas J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Gooßen