Substitution of Acyl for Acetyl with N‐Acylbenzotriazoles Catalyzed by Samarium Triiodide

Abstract

Catalyzed by samarium triiodide (SmI₃), substitution of acyl with N‐acylbenzotriazoles for acetyl in acetoacetic esters and acetylacetone proceeds smoothly under neutral conditions in open air, affording the corresponding β‐keto esters and β‐diketones in good yields.

Keywords:

• N‐acylbenzotriazoles
• β‐diketones
• β‐ketoesters
• SmI₃

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (Project No. Y405035) and Zhejiang Analysis and Testing Fund (Project No. KYZ04Y04076) for financial support.