Facile Synthesis of Versatile Enantioenriched α-Substituted Hydroxy Esters through a Bronsted Acid Catalyzed Kinetic Resolution

An efficient synthesis of enantioenriched alpha-substituted gamma-hydroxy esters via a kinetic resolution event is described. Bulky racemic esters in the presence of a chiral Bronsted acid selectively lactonize to yield a recoverable enantioenriched hydroxy ester and lactone. These esters are highly versatile building blocks that can readily be converted to synthetically useful materials.