Tropylium-Catalyzed O-H Insertion Reactions of Diazoalkanes with Carboxylic Acids.

Herein, we describe the application of a nonbenzenoid aromatic carbocation, namely tropylium, as an organic Lewis acid catalyst in O-H functionalization reactions of diazoalkanes with benzoic acids. The newly developed protocol is applicable to a wide range of diazoalkane and carboxylic acid substrates with excellent efficiency (43 examples, up to 99% yield).