Borinic Acid-Catalyzed Regioselective Acylation of Carbohydrate Derivatives

Reversible covalent interactions of organoboron compounds are exploited as the basis for regioselective borinic acid-catalyzed acylations of polyols. This catalytic protocol enables differentiation of the secondary OH groups of a wide range of carbohydrate derivatives with diverse acid chloride and chloroformate reagents, using a structurally simple diarylborinic acid-derived catalyst.