Selective Reductions of Esters to Aldehydes: Extended Scope and Downstream Reactivity

In our study, we extended the applicability of ester hydrosilylation methodology employing (2-bromo-6-fluorophenyl)bis(2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl)borane (SBR12) catalysts. Overall, the method features exceptionally low catalyst loading (as little as 0.01 mol %), along with mild reaction conditions and a high tolerance for various functional groups. We demonstrated the practicality of this technique through the concise total synthesis of the sex pheromone (Z,Z)-7,11-hexadecadienal and the antipsychotic medication haloperidol.