An efficient palladium-catalyzed synthesis of benzils from aryl bromides: vinylene carbonate as a synthetic equivalent of glyoxal

An expedient synthetic procedure of benzil derivatives from aryl bromides was developed using vinylene carbonate as a glyoxal equivalent in a palladium-catalyzed reaction. The reaction involved a sequential diarylation of vinylene carbonate to form 4,5-diaryl-1,3-dioxol-2-one, ring-opening to benzoin derivative, and an oxidation process.