Facile Bifunctional Addition of Lactones and Esters at Low Temperatures. The First Intermediates in Lactone/Ester Hydrogenations

Abstract

The bifunctional addition of lactones/esters is unexpectedly facile at low temperatures. Catalytic hydrogenations of esters can be carried out under mild conditions, e.g. −20 °C under 4 atm of H2, but product inhibition slows these reactions over time.