Iodine-Catalyzed, Efficient and Mild Procedure for Highly Chemoselective Acetalization of Carbonyl Compounds under Neutral Aprotic Conditions

Various types of carbonyl compounds are efficiently converted to their 1,3-dioxanes by the use of 1,3-bis(trimethylsiloxy)propane (BTSP) and a catalytic amount of iodine (3-7 mol%) under essentially neutral aprotic condition.