Synthesis of ω-Hydroxy Fatty Acid Alkyl Esters by Macrocyclic Lactones Alcoholysis Catalyzed by Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Zinc Aryloxides.

A series of zinc aryloxides, [Zn 4 (sal-Me) 8 ]⋅2.5(C 7 H 8 ) (1), [Zn 4 (sal-Me) 8 ]⋅CH 2 Cl 2 (2), [Zn 4 (μ 3 -OR) 2 (sal-R) 6 ] (3) (for R=Me (0.51), Et (0.49)), [Zn 4 (μ 3 -OMe) 4 (sal-Me) 4 (HOMe) 4 ] (4), [Zn(sal-Me) 2 (py) 2 ]⋅THF (5), {[Zn(sal-Me) 2 (tmbpy)] ⋅ 2(C 6 H 5 CH 3 )} n (6), [Zn 2 (sal-Me) 2 (THF) 2 Cl 2 ] ⋅ 0.5(C 6 H 5 CH 3 ) (7), and [Zn 4 (μ 3 -OMe) 2 (sal-Me) 4 Cl 2 ] (8) (Hsal-Me=methyl salicylate, py=pyridine, tmbpy=4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine) were obtained that have different nuclearities and central core topologies and contain ligands of different basicity and coordination abilities.