Direct oxidation of β-aryl substituted aldehydes to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes promoted by an o-anisidine-Pd(OAc) 2 Co-catalyst

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/asia.200900238

An o-anisidine-Pd(OAc)₂ catalytic system for the direct co-catalytic Saegusa oxidation of β-aryl substituted aldehydes to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes has been developed. The use of o-anisidine in place of (S)-diphenylprolinol made the process more simply and cost-effective. The process not only features the use of unmodified aldehydes rather than enol silyl ethers, but also gives moderate to good yields (44-72%).