A new superacid catalyzed Friedel-Crafts hydroxyalkylation of aromatics with ethyl trifluoropyruvate is described. The trifluoromethanesulfonic acid or gallium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate catalyzed reactions give α-hydroxy α-trifluoromethyl phenyl acetic acid ethyl ester and its derivatives (analogs of Mosher’s acid) in good yields for both highly activated heteroaromatics and substituted benzenes.
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Prakash et al. (2003) studied this question.
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