A catalytic amount of nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate and 1,2-ethanedithiol is a good combination for the cleavage of tetrahydropyranyl (THP) and tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS) ethers

Various THP and TBS ethers can be unmasked easily to the corresponding hydroxyl compounds in good yields by using a combination of a catalytic amount of nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate and 1,2-ethanedithiol at room temperature. In addition, alkyl TBS ethers can be hydrolyzed chemoselectively in the presence of aryl TBS ethers. Moreover, alkyl TBS ethers can be cleaved easily in the presence of alkyl or aryl THP ethers using the same conditions.