Synthesis of ω‐Hydroxy Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters by Macrocyclic Lactones Alcoholysis Catalyzed by Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Zinc Aryloxides

A series of zinc aryloxides, [Zn 4 (sal‐Me) 8 ]⋅2.5(C 7 H 8 ) ( 1 ), [Zn 4 (sal‐Me) 8 ]⋅CH 2 Cl 2 ( 2 ), [Zn 4 (μ 3 ‐OR) 2 (sal‐R) 6 ] ( 3 ) (for R=Me (0.51), Et (0.49)), [Zn 4 (μ 3 ‐OMe) 4 (sal‐Me) 4 (HOMe) 4 ] ( 4 ), [Zn(sal‐Me) 2 (py) 2 ]⋅THF ( 5 ), {[Zn(sal‐Me) 2 (tmbpy)] ⋅ 2(C 6 H 5 CH 3 )} n ( 6 ), [Zn 2 (sal‐Me) 2 (THF) 2 Cl 2 ] ⋅ 0.5(C 6 H 5 CH 3 ) ( 7 ), and [Zn 4 (μ 3 ‐OMe) 2 (sal‐Me) 4 Cl 2 ] ( 8 ) (Hsal‐Me=methyl salicylate, py=pyridine, tmbpy=4,4′‐trimethylenedipyridine) were obtained that have different nuclearities and central core topologies and contain ligands of different basicity and coordination abilities.