Mild and efficient Lewis acid-promoted detritylation in the synthesis of N-hydroxy amides: a concise synthesis of (-)-Cobactin T.

An efficient, high-yielding Lewis acid promoted deprotection of O-trityl hydroxylamine derivatives is described. A range of acid-labile protecting groups, such as N-Boc and O-TBS, were tolerated under these mild conditions. The present method is applicable to the synthesis of a broad range of hydroxylamine derivatives, including N-hydroxy amides (hydroxamic acids), N-hydroxy sulfonamides, and N-hydroxy ureas, which often exhibit significant biological activities. An application of this methodology for a concise synthesis of (-)-Cobactin T (18) is also demonstrated.