A direct method was developed for the conversion of benzyl ethers into aryl nitriles by using NH4OAc as the nitrogen source and oxygen as the terminal oxidant with catalysis by TEMPO/HNO3; the method is valuable for both the synthesis of aromatic nitriles and for the deprotection of ether-protected hydroxy groups to form nitrile groups in multistep organic syntheses.
Direct conversion of cellulose-derived levulinic acid into γ-valerolactone and γ-valerolactone into 1,4-pentanediol was carried out by chemoselective hydrogenation catalyzed through supported copper-catalysts.
Highly Efficient Aza-Baylis—Hillman Reaction of N-Tosylated Imines with MVK, Acrolein, and Phenyl Acrylate or α-Naphthyl Acrylate: Lewis Base Effects and A Convenient Method to Synthesize α,β-Unsaturated β-Amino Carbonyl Compounds.