In the course of recent investigations on the total synthesis of the potent proteasome inhibitor salinosporamide A (1) 1 and related structures we encountered great difficulty in the hydrolysis of the hindered methyl ester function in a late intermediate (2). 2 and 3 Because of the combination of strong steric shielding of the COOMe carbonyl in 2 and the ease of decomposition by retroaldol pathways, the conversion of methyl ester 2, for example, R = i-Pr, into the corresponding ...