Hafnium trifluoromethanesulfonate (hafnium triflate) as a highly efficient catalyst for chemoselective thioacetalization and transthioacetalization of carbonyl compounds.

A range of carbonyl compounds including aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes and ketones were converted to the corresponding thioacetals in high yields in the presence of a catalytic amount of hafnium trifluoromethanesulfonate (0.1 mol %, room temperature). The mild conditions tolerated various sensitive functional and protecting groups and were racemization-free when applied to alpha-aminoaldehydes. Transacetalization and chemoselective thioacetalization of aromatic aldehydes in the presence of aliphatic aldehydes and ketones were also documented.