Electricity driven 1,3-Oxohydroxylation of Donor-Acceptor cyclopropanes: a mild and straightforward access to β-Hydroxy ketones

Abstract

An unprecedented external oxidant-free electrochemical protocol for 1, 3-oxohydroxylation of donor-acceptor cyclopropane is disclosed. The strategy encompasses the activation of the labile π-electron cloud of the aryl ring to cleave the strained Csp 3 Csp 3 bond of cyclopropane to afford the β-hydroxy ketones via insertion of molecular oxygen. More significantly, based on the detailed mechanistic investigations and cyclic voltammetry experiments, a plausible mechanism is proposed