Esterification of carboxylic acids and the acylation of alcohols are fundamental processes in organic chemistry.1,2 The direct acylation of alcohols with carboxylic acids, the Fischer esterification, can be brought about with mineral acids or sulfonic acids where the only by-product is water, ie. formally an atom economic process.3 However, the reaction is reversible and typically large excesses of either the alcohol or acid are required. Alternatively, Fischer ...