Cerium(III) chloride heptahydrate, 99%, Thermo Scientific Chemicals

General References:

1. Reagent for selective cleavage of MEM ethers (see 2-Methoxyethoxymethyl chloride, L01050 ) under mild conditions: Org. Lett., 3, 1149 (2001).
2. Useful in modifying the reactivity of Sodium borohydride, 35788 , allowing selective reduction of ketones in the presence of aldehydes: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 101, 5848 (1979), and giving increased selectivity for 1,2-reduction of enones to allylic alcohols: J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 601 (1978); cyclohexenones can be reduced in an alkyl alcohol to give the alkyl allylic ether in high yield: Pol. J. Chem., 69, 1655 (1995).
3. With a catalytic amount of NaI in acetonitrile, dioxolanes (ethylene acetals) are deprotected to the parent carbonyl compounds: J. Org. Chem., 62, 4183 (1997), as are 4-methoxybenzyl ethers: J. Org. Chem., 64, 5696 (1999), and allyl ethers: Tetrahedron Lett., 40, 7293 (1999), to the parent alcohols. With a stoichiometric amount of NaI, alcohols can be converted to alkyl iodides: J. Org. Chem., 65, 2830 (2000), aryl alkyl ethers undergo dealkylation to phenols: Chem. Lett., 738 (2000), and selective deprotection of N-Boc protected tert-butyl amino acid esters can be achieved: J. Org. Chem., 66, 4430 (2001). Also deprotects the tert-butyl ethers of alcohols: Adv. Synth. Catal., 348, 905 (2006). For a review of the CeCl₃·nH₂OaI system,as an efficient, water-tolerant Lewis Acid promoter in organic synthesis, see: Synlett, 2101 (2003).
4. In combination with Zn in acetonitrile, promotes the Reformatsky reaction of Ethyl bromofluoroacetate, B21579 : J. Org. Chem., 67, 72 (2002).
5. For preparation of the anhydrous reagent and its use in combination with organolithium or Grignard reagents to suppress side reactions with carbonyl compounds, see: Org. Synth., 76, 228 (1998).
6. For a brief feature on uses of this reagent, see: Synlett, 1935 (2002).