Electrochemical oxidation of allylic C[sbnd]H bond for α, β-unsaturated ketones without peroxide

Abstract

α,β-Unsaturated ketone is one of the important building blocks of the plenty of alkaloids, spices and pharmaceutical agents. Herein, we describe a peroxide-free electrochemical strategy to realize site-selective allylic C − H oxidation for the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated ketones. This electrochemically driven oxidation exhibits a broad substrate scope. Mechanistic investigations of this reaction uncovered HOAc and H2O as the oxygen source to achieve peroxide-free electrochemical allylic C − H oxidation.