Resurgent interest in the chemistry of nitrones is mainly due to their ability to participate in 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions.1 Nitrones are also used as radical spin trapping agents.2 α–Chloronitrone is a good reagent for the insertion of a formyl group.3 In the synthesis of nonactic acid, a precursor of the macrolide antibiotic nonactin, the formyl group was introduced using α-chloronitrone. The formyl group was oxidised to the carboxylic acid and then ...