Fluoride‐Catalyzed Esterification of Amides

AbstractIn recent years, it has been demonstrated that amide carbon–nitrogen bonds can be activated and selectively cleaved using transition metal catalysts. However, these methodologies have been restricted to specific amides; a one‐to‐one relationship exists between the catalytic system and the amides and also uses large amounts of transition‐metal catalysts and ligands. Hence, we now report a general strategy for esterification of common amides using fluoride as a catalyst. This method shows high functional group tolerance, and notably it requires only a slight excess of the alcohol nucleophile, which is a rare case in transition‐metal‐free amide transformations. Moreover, this approach may provide a new understanding for further studies on esterification of amides and is expected to stimulate the development of alternative methods for direct functionalization of amides.