Regioselective hydration of terminal halo-substituted propargyl carboxylates by gold catalyst: synthesis of α-acyloxy α'-halo ketones.

Regioselective hydration of the terminal halo-substituted propargyl carboxylate by gold(I) catalyst is reported. The mild catalytic conditions tolerate common acid-labile protecting groups, and a wide variety of α-acyloxy α'-halo ketones are efficiently synthesized within a short reaction time. The α-acyloxy α'-halo ketones are used for the synthesis of 2-aminothiazoles.