Ferric nitrate-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of benzylic sp3 CH bonds of ethers and alkylarenes

A simple catalytic oxidation system was developed for the selective aerobic oxidation of structurally diverse benzylic sp3 CH bonds of ethers and alkylarenes. The reactions were performed with Fe(NO3)3·9H2O as the catalyst, KPF6 as the additive and molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant without any ligands. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a number of isochromans, xanthenes and thioxanthenes can be converted to their corresponding esters or ketones in good to excellent yields.

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