Aldol condensations of aldehydes and ketones catalyzed by rare earth(III) perfluorooctane sulfonates in fluorous solvents

Rare earth(III) perfluorooctane sulfonates (RE(OPf)3) catalyze the efficient aldol condensation of different ketones with various aromatic aldehydes in fluorous solvents without the occurrence of any self-condensations. By simple separation of the fluorous phase containing only catalyst, reaction can be repeated several times.