Xu Jian-Xing, Wu Xiao-Feng
Leibniz-Institut für Katalyse an der Universität Rostock e. V. , Albert-Einstein-Straße 29a , 18059 Rostock , Germany.
J Org Chem. 2019 Aug 16;84(16):9907-9912. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.9b01007. Epub 2019 Aug 6.
Herein, we developed a new and practical catalytic system for the carbonylative synthesis of β-hydroxyesters. By using simple, cheap, and air-stable cobalt(II) bromide as the catalyst, combined with pyrazole and catalytic amount of manganese, active cobalt complex can be generated in situ and can catalyze various epoxides to give the corresponding β-hydroxyesters in moderate to excellent yields. Mechanism studies indicate that pyrazole plays a crucial role in this reaction. Moreover, with the addition of the catalytic amount of manganese, the active cobalt catalyst can be regenerated, which provides a possibility for reusing the cobalt catalyst.
