Abstract
AlCl3 · 6H2O/KI/CH3CN/H2O, an efficient and versatile system, cleaves the C–O bonds of esters, acetals, ethers, and oxathiolanes to the corresponding acids, alcohols, and carbonyl compounds chemoselectively at 80 °C in hydrated media with good yields. This system also converts the alcohols (primary/secondary) to halides and oxidizes the alcohols (primary/secondary) to the corresponding carbonyl compounds in the presence of DMSO.
Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge the director and the Analytical Division of this laboratory for their kind help. Also, P. G. and S. D. S. are grateful to Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, for its grant of Junior Research Fellow (JRF) fellowships.