Facile Synthesis of α-Keto Carbonyl Compounds by Indirect Anodic Oxidation

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/cl.1994.1017

Secondary alcohols having a carbonyl group at the neighboring carbon atom were electrochemically oxidized to the corresponding α-keto carbonyl compounds in good yields.Thus, aromatic α-hydroxyl esters were easily transformed to arylglyoxylates in excellent yields using an undivided cell while efficient anodic oxidation of α-hydroxyl ketones and aliphatic α-hydroxyl esters successfully proceeded in a divided cell to give the corresponding α-keto carbonyl compounds.