Cleavage of aryl carbonates

Cleavage of aryl carbonates (general procedure)To a solution of NaHTe prepared in situ from tellurium powder (1.3 g) and NaBH4 (0.9 g) in EtOH (20 mL) bnffered with deoxygenated HO Ac (1.2 mL in 5 mL EtOH) is added the aryl ethyl carbonate (5 mmol) and the mixture refluxed under N2 for 30 min. The reaction mixture is filtered, the filtrate evaporated and the residue dissolved in H2O. The aqueous layer is slightly acidified with a few drops of HOAc. The respective phenols are obtained in quantitative yields. 

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