A convenient and highly efficient method for the protection of aldehydes using very low loading hydrous ruthenium(III) trichloride as catalyst

A convenient method for the chemoselective protections of both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes has been developed. Ruthenium(III) trichloride (0.1 mol %) has found to be an highly efficient catalyst in the acetalizations of aldehydes with various simple alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, or diols such as 1,2-ethylanediol and 1,3-propanediol under mild reaction conditions.