An efficient and environmentally friendly method for directly converting trityl and benzyl ethers to the corresponding acetates

Acid sensitive benzyl and trityl ethers are frequently used as protecting groups to mask alcohols. They are also needed to be transformed into more stable ester groups toward acids in multistep synthesis. A mild and efficient one-pot protocol for the selective transformation of benzyl and trityl ethers into their corresponding acetates was successfully developed. Several distinct advantages to this procedure include direct transformation, minimal generation of waste, a non-aqueous workup and the recovery and recycling of the benzyl acetate and trityl alcohol by-products, which were readily recovered in greater than 90% yields.