A simple, general distereoselective synthesis of 5-hydroxyalkylbutan-4-olides
Abstract
cis- and trans-Hex-4-enoic acids and their 6-n-propyl and n-butyl derivatives, when treated with a 1.1 molar excess of m-chloroperbenzoic acid and Amberlyst-15 as catalyst in CH2Cl2 at 20 °C, gave the corresponding threo- and erythro-5-hydroxyalkylbutan-4-olides in quantitative yields.