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Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Direct N-methyl C-H esterification of O-tosyl hydroxamates to enable facile synthesis of hemiaminal esters
Jian-Chen Wu1, Heng Yang1, Zhi-Wen Luo1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Anhui Provincial International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Major Metabolic Diseases and Nutritional Interventions, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China. daijj@hfut.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Here we present a new method for synthesizing amide hemiaminal esters through the direct N-methyl C-H esterification of O-tosyl hydroxamates. This approach demonstrates good tolerance for a variety of functional groups and operates under mild, transition-metal-free conditions, thus providing an accessible and effective pathway to hemiaminal esters.
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Preparation of Amides
The DCC-promoted synthesis of amides begins with the protonation of DCC by carboxylic acid. The protonation makes it a better acceptor. Next, the addition of carboxylate to the protonated carbodiimide gives a reactive acylating agent.
Subsequently, the amine acts as a nucleophile that attacks the acylating agent to form a tetrahedral intermediate. In the...

