LiHMDS: Facile, highly efficient and metal-free transesterification under solvent-free condition

Abstract

Transesterification is one of the important organic reactions employed in numerous industrial as well as laboratory applications for the synthesis of various esters. Herein, we report a rapid, highly efficient, and transition metal-free transesterification reaction in the presence of LiHMDS under solvent-free conditions. The transesterification reaction was carried out with three different benzoate esters and a wide range of primary and secondary alcohols (from C3-C18) in good to excellent yields (45 examples). By considering the commercial role of esters, this method will be promising for the facile synthesis of esters in industry-relevant applications.

Keywords

• Transesterification
• Transition metal-free
• Solvent-free
• LiHMDS
• Benzoate ester