Synergistic Catalysis of Se and Cu for the Activation of
<scp>
<i>α</i>
‐H
</scp>
of Methyl Ketones with Molecular Oxygen/Alcohol to Produce
<scp>
<i>α</i>
‐Keto
</scp>
Acetals
<sup>†</sup>
Selenium and copper synergistically catalyzed the oxidation/alkoxylation of methyl ketones to synthesize α‐keto acetals directly. Using O2 as oxidant and alcohol as solvent and alkoxylation reagent, the reaction is practical from industrial viewpoint. Mechanistic studies revealed that copper promoted the oxidation of organoselenium intermediates with O2 to allow the key rearrangement and selenoxide
complementary strategies employing organolithium chemistry for the synthesis of glyoxal derivatives. Micro-mixer technology allows for the generation of unstable organometallic intermediates and their instantaneous in-line quenching with esters as electrophiles. Selective mono-addition was observed via putative stabilized tetrahedral intermediates. Advantages offered by flow chemistry technologies facilitate
Enantioselective reactions of simple ketones, α,α‐ and β,β‐dialkoxy ketones, and α‐alkoxy ketones with trimethylsilyl cyanide catalyzed by the bimetallic systems of amino acid/BINAP/ruthenium(II) complexes and lithium phenoxide have been studied [BINAP=2,2′‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl]. The Ru(PhGly)2(BINAP)‐lithium phenoxide system showed high enantioselectivity for the reaction of acetophenone