Auto-Tandem Catalysis with Frustrated Lewis Pairs for Reductive Etherification of Aldehydes and Ketones

Herein we report that a single frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) catalyst can promote the reductive etherification of aldehydes and ketones. The reaction does not require an exogenous acid catalyst, but the combined action of FLP on H-2, R-OH or H2O generates the required BrOnsted acid in a reversible, turn on manner. The method is not only a complementary metal-free reductive etherification, but also a niche procedure for ethers that would be either synthetically inconvenient or even intractable to access by alternative synthetic protocols.