Nature Communications (Jun 2020)

Site-selective electrooxidation of methylarenes to aromatic acetals

  • Peng Xiong,
  • Huai-Bo Zhao,
  • Xue-Ting Fan,
  • Liang-Hua Jie,
  • Hao Long,
  • Pin Xu,
  • Zhan-Jiang Liu,
  • Zheng-Jian Wu,
  • Jun Cheng,
  • Hai-Chao Xu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16519-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Benzylic oxygenation of methylarenes is a direct but challenging method for aldehyde synthesis from simple starting materials. Here, the authors show an electrochemical, site-selective method for the oxidation of methyl benzoheterocycles to aromatic acetals without using chemical oxidants or transition metal catalysts.