Efficient and practical in situ zinc activation was accomplished by treatment with
catalytic amount of an organic acid. The protocol was applied successfully to the
Blaise reaction of various nitriles. Noteworthy is the excellent Blaise transformation
of (S)-4-chloro-3-trimethylsilyloxybutyronitrile (2b) into tert-butyl (S)-6-chloro-5-hydroxy-3-oxohexanoate (1), a key intermediate for the preparation of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins).
in situ zinc activation - Blaise reaction - statin intermediate