Ytterbium triflate was shown to be an effective catalyst in promoting the synthesis of either isopropyl esters or free α-hydroxy-arylacetic acids from substituted aromatic glyoxals and aryl methyl ketones, respectively. The reaction to provide acids starting from differently substituted ketones was carried out by an environmentally friendly method using an aqueous medium as a solvent and giving the adducts in 78-99% yield without any further ...
