Reductive Cleavage of Aromatic and Heteroaromatic Ester Functions via Copper-Catalyzed Proto-Decarbomethoxylation

An unprecedented catalytic reductive cleavage of aromatic and heteroaromatic methyl ester functions was successfully achieved with a cheap, nontoxic, and air-stable Cu(OAc)2 catalyst. This reaction is fast, features good functional group tolerance, does not require inert atmosphere or anhydrous solvent, and can be scaled up to 1 g. Moreover, carboxylic acids and t-butyl esters also reacted smoothly under these conditions.