Multiply substituted oxazolines

A common and effective direct approach to unsubstituted or multiply substituted oxazolines is the Lewis acid catalyzed reaction of nitriles with amino alcohols in an alcoholic or aromatic solvent (chlorobenzene) at reflux. The most common Lewis acids employed include ZnCl2, ZnBr2, NiBr2, CuCl2, and kaolinitic clay. Microwave irradiation has also been reported to facilitate the transformation. Alternatively, the condensation can be carried out in the presence of catalytic amounts of potassium carbonate. The method works well for both aliphatic and aromatic nitriles, with retention of stereochemistry. Some representative examples from the recent literature are listed in Table 8.16 (Scheme 3 40),2 35.2oi-2i3... 

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