Primary alkylboronic acids as highly active catalysts for the dehydrative amide condensation of α-hydroxycarboxylic acids.

Primary alkylboronic acids such as methylboronic acid and butylboronic acid are highly active catalysts for the dehydrative amide condensation of α-hydroxycarboxylic acids. The catalytic activities of these primary alkylboronic acids are much higher than those of the previously reported arylboronic acids. The present method was easily applied to a large-scale synthesis, and 14 g of an amide was obtained in a single reaction.