AN EFFICIENT BIOMIMETIC CLEAVAGE OF<i>GEM</i>-DIACETATES TO ALDEHYDES BY β-CYCLODEXTRIN UNDER NEUTRAL CONDITIONS IN AQUEOUS MEDIUM*

Abstract

ABSTRACT The cleavage of gem-diacetates to aldehydes, a widely used protecting group in organic synthesis, has been achieved for the first time under neutral conditions in aqueous medium using β-cyclodextrin as catalyst. The main advantage of the present methodology is that it can be used with compounds having a variety of functional groups since the cleavage is carriedout under neutral conditions in aqueous medium.