Practical Chemoselective Acylation: Organocatalytic Chemodivergent Esterification and Amidation of Amino Alcohols with N-Carbonylimidazoles.

Chemoselective transformations are a cornerstone of efficient organic synthesis; however, achieving this goal for even simple transformations, such as acylation reactions, is often a challenge. We report that N-carbonylimidazoles enable catalytic chemodivergent aniline or alcohol acylation in the presence of pyridinium ions or 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.