Bis-Lewis acids-catalyzed highly diastereoselective one-pot reductive dehydroxylation of chiral N,O-acetals

A one-pot and highly diastereoselective method for the reductive dehydroxylation of three classes of heterocyclic N,O-acetals with general structure 4 is reported. The method features a ‘two in one’ concept, namely, by synergetic action of two complementary Lewis acids (BF·OEt2 and TiCl4), the bicyclic or tricyclic oxazololactams 5 were formed in situ and reductively cleaved to give the corresponding lactams 6 in a high-yielding and highly diastereoselective manner.