Abstract
Cyclopropyl cyanoesters 2 were reliably converted to γ-lactones 4 on treatment with aqueous sulfuric acid. The cyanoesters could be easily prepared from ketones or aldehydes in two steps, making this process particularly attractive from an efficiency standpoint.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Jennifer Davoren, Amy Dounay, Andrew Flick, Christopher O'Donnell, and Suvi Simila for helpful suggestions.
Notes
a Isolated yields. For procedures, see Experimental section.