Starbon®400-HSO3: A green mesoporous carbonaceous solid acid catalyst for the Ritter reaction

•First application of Starbon® catalysts to complex naturally-derived substrates•Significant improvement for the Ritter reaction of epoxysteroids•2-Oxazolines can be obtained in good yields, under some reaction conditions.•The catalyst is easily recovered, simplifying the reaction work-up.•The green nature of Starbon® makes this new process very promising for scale-up.

The application of the Starbon® Technology in the Ritter reaction to afford vic-N-acylamino-hydroxy compounds, in very high yields, is reported. Starbon®400-HSO3 was used as a green and easily recovered mesoporous carbonaceous solid acid catalyst and applied, for the first time, to more complex naturally-derived substrates, such as steroids.

Graphical abstractStarbon® 400-HSO3 was used as a green and easily recovered mesoporous carbonaceous solid acid catalyst in the Ritter reaction of epoxysteroids to afford the corresponding vic-N-acylamino-hydroxy compounds, in very high yields.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide