One-pot esterification and Ritter reaction: chemo- and regioselectivity from tert-butyl methyl ether

tert-Butyl methyl ether (TBME) has been effectively used as a reagent for esterification of carboxylic acids. By varying amounts of sulfuric acid, a remarkable regioselectivity in esterification has been demonstrated. Additionally, under the present reaction conditions, one-pot esterification and Ritter reaction are achieved in almost quantitative yield.