Ethers cleavage with acetyl tosylate

Methyltetrahydrofuran allowed to react 12hrs. at 25° with acetyl tosylate -> 1-acetoxypentyl 4-p-tosylate. Y 95%. - Catalysis by added Lewis acids is not necessary and cleavage of the most unreactive ethers occurs after a few hrs. reflux in acetonitrile. The cleavage of unsym. ethers favors a greater specificity than other methods. M. H. Karger and Y. Mazur, Am. Soc. 90, 3878 (1968). 

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