N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Ester Synthesis from Organic Halides through Incorporation of Oxygen Atoms from Air.

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Oxygenation reactions with molecular oxygen (O2 ) as the oxygen source provides a green and straightforward strategy for the construction of O-containing compounds. Demonstrated here is a novel N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed oxidative transformation of simple and readily available organic halides into valuable esters through the incorporation of O-atoms from O2 . Mechanistic studies prove that the deoxy Breslow intermediate generated in situ is oxidized to a Breslow intermediate for further transformation by this oxidative protocol. This method broadens the field of NHC catalysis and promotes oxygenation reactions with O2 .