Lithium trifluoromethanesulfonate (LiOTf) as a recyclable catalyst for highly efficient acetylation of alcohols and diacetylation of aldehydes under mild and neutral reaction conditions.

A variety of alcohols and aldehydes were reacted with acetic anhydride at room temperature in the presence of a catalytic amount of lithium triflate (LiOTf) to produce the corresponding esters and 1,1-diacetates, respectively, in good to excellent yields under essentially neutral reaction conditions. Sensitive functional groups such as PhCO(2)-, OMe, and OTBDMS ethers survived intact under the described reaction conditions.