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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

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Published on: November 15, 2017
Convenient and Simple Esterification in Continuous-Flow Systems using g-DMAP
Yoshinori Okuno1, Shigeki Isomura1, Anna Sugamata1
1Yokohama University of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, 601 Matano-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, 245-0066, Japan.
Abstract:
The utility and applicability of polyethylene-g-polyacrylic acid-immobilized dimethylaminopyridine (g-DMAP) as a catalyst in a continuous-flow system were investigated for decarboxylative esterification. High catalytic activity toward acylation was provided by g-DMAP containing a flexible grafted-polymer structure. During decarboxylation, carboxylic acids and alcohols were converted cleanly using di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (Boc2O) as a coupling reagent, which reduced by-products. In addition, the use of Boc2O resulted in the formation of tert-butyl esters. These esterifications dramatically reduced the reaction time under continuous-flow conditions, with a residence time of approximately 2 min. This highly efficient esterification procedure will provide more practical industrial applications.
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