A Mild and Effective Method for the Transesterification of Carboxylic Acid Esters P.B. and R.M. are grateful to the Land Baden-Württemberg for a scholarship from the Landesgraduiertenförderung.

Abstract

An extraordinarily versatile transesterification of simple or highly functionalized esters of aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids in high yields is catalyzed by dibutyltin oxide [Eq. (1)]. The reaction is compatible with several functional groups, for example, acetals, ketals, aliphatic bromides, enol ethers, urethanes, as well as free hydroxy, phenolic, and amino groups, and even with water.