α,β-Unsaturated ketones via copper(II) bromide mediated oxidation

A protocol for effecting a rapid Saegusa-type oxidation of enol acetates is reported. This new method relies on the in situ elimination of an α-bromo intermediate to generate α,β-unsaturated ketones using copper(II) bromide. The methodology developed was applied to a range of substrates including a cyclohexanone, which could be directly converted to the corresponding phenol derivative. A catalytic system in which a non-masked ketone was successfully oxidised using substoichiometric CuBr2 was also developed as a proof of principle.