Abstract
The development of a pair of complementary ketal based linkers on polyethylene glycol for the protection of either ketones or 1,2-diols is described. Their utility for the preparation of a small set of symmetrically substituted spiroketals is also detailed.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Jamie Scott and Luke Green for assistance in the preparation of this manuscript and Charlie Bailey for invaluable assistance over many years. We are grateful to Novartis for a case award to AGL and Research Fellowship to SVL. RH and MN are indebted to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and JS thanks the European Union for funding.