Towards gallium(III)-catalyzed aldehyde deformylation

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Several gallium(III) salts, most notably GaCl3, were found to serve as mild catalysts for the deformylation of aldehydes to alkenes by H2O2 and base, demonstrating that redox-active transition metals are not strictly required for this sort of reactivity. The identities of the counteranion and solvent strongly influence both the extent of the activity and the incidence of side-products. Although the catalysis has thus far been modest (∼3 turnovers), these turnovers occur in under 20 min at 20 °C; the reactivity compares well to that promoted by transition metal peroxo complexes, which require much more time to stoichiometrically convert aldehydes to alkenes and often substantial amounts of ketone side-products.