Cleavage of carboxylic esters effected by organotin oxides and hydroxides under classical heating and microwave irradiation. A comparative study

We describe some recent findings on similarities and differences in the cleavage of selected carboxylic esters from the viewpoint of reactivity effected by organotin oxides and hydroxides, under different modes of heating (oil bath or microwave irradiation). These studies complement earlier use of bis(tributyltin) oxide and provide a simple and efficient procedure of cleavage of carboxylic esters in apolar aprotic or without solvent, under mild conditions with readily available organotin reagents. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd