A novel strategy for protecting dihydroxyl groups of catechols has been developed. Base-mediated cyclizations of catechols with 1,3-dibromopropane provided the corresponding benzo[b]1,4-dioxepans, and herefrom the protecting group was easily cleaved by aluminum chloride. The preparation of the antibacterial and antifungal agent 4-(2-aminothiazol-4-yl)benzene-1,2-diol from catechol reliably verified its availability amenable to various harsh reaction conditions.
Key words
catechols - protection -
ortho-dihydroxyl - 1,3-dibromopropane - benzo[
b]1,4-dioxepans - deprotection - aluminum chloride