Acidity-directed synthesis of substituted gamma-butyrolactones from aliphatic aldehydes.

The strength of the Lewis or Brønsted acids controls the formation of either beta,gamma-disubstituted-alpha-methylene-gamma-butyrolactones or gamma-substituted-alpha-alkylidene-gamma-butyrolactones via the lactonization or oxonia cope rearrangement-lactonization, respectively, of the borate intermediates resulting from the crotylboration of aliphatic aldehydes with ester-containing crotylboronates, such as (E)-methyl 2-boramethyl-2-butenoates.