Efficient tetrahydropyranyl and tetrahydrofuranyl protection/deprotection of alcohols and phenols with Al(OTf)3 as catalyst

A simple and efficient method for the conversion of alcohols and phenols into their corresponding THP and THF ethers at room temperature has been developed using 1 mol % aluminium triflate as catalyst. The deprotection reaction in the presence of methanol using Al(OTf)₃ was equally successful and could be performed at ambient temperature in high yields.     

An economic and efficient tetrahydrofuranylation of alcohols, imines and alkynes

The tetrahydrofuranyl radical, generated by heating tetrahydrofuran in the presence of air and allyl or benzyl chloride, becomes a useful tool in order to transform the hydroxyl functions into ethers, or the CN double bond into amine, or the C-C triple bond into vinyl derivatives. A radical mechanism is proposed followed by a nucleophilic substitution for the alcohol substrate and a radical addition for the iminic and the acetylenic reactants.