CH3 toreduce when hydrogen donating solvents are used4 (eq 2). Any interest in utilizing pyruvate photoreaction as a synthetic tool was tempered by the knowledge that the available syntheses of these compounds employed unacceptably forcing conditions for use with sensitive material^.^ A recent report6 of a new, simple synthesis of the acid chloride of pyruvic acid raised the possibility that esters of this acid easily could be formed under mild ...
