A one-pot method for the efficient conversion of aryl- and acyl-substituted methyl alcohols into chlorides

A one-pot and efficient conversion of aryl- and acyl-substituted methyl alcohols into the corresponding chlorides is described, which involved tosylation with tosyl chloride and triethylamine in the presence of a catalytic amount of 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine (DMAP) in CH2Cl2, followed by methanol-facilitated replacement of the tosylates with chloride. This mild method is readily amenable to large-scale synthesis.