New facile synthesis of α-hydroxyamides: Intermolecular and intramolecular catalysis in the reaction of α-hydroxycarboxylic acids with N-sulfinylamines.

α-Hydroxycarboxylic acids (1) reacted with N-sulfinylanilines (2) to give the corresponding α-hydroxyanilides (5) in quantitative yields under mild condition: the reaction appears to involve intermolecular catalysis by the carboxylic acid moiety and intramolecular catalysis by the hydroxyl group.