Montmorillonite Clay: A Novel Reagent for the Chemoselective Hydrolysis of t-Butyl Esters

A mild and highly selective hydrolysis of t-butyl esters has been achieved in high yields using montmorillonite KSF in refluxing acetonitrile. The method is compatible with a variety of protecting and functional groups such as BOC, Cbz, propargyl, allyl, benzyl, t-butyl ethers, allyl, methyl and benzyl esters present in the molecule.