Metal-free oxidative esterification of acetophenones with alcohols: A facile one-pot approach to α-ketoesters

A novel and efficient oxidative esterification method for the synthesis of α-ketoesters has been developed under mild and environmentally benign conditions, which is a facile one-pot approach to α-ketoesters from commercially available acetophenones with alcohols, especially under metal-free conditions, with broad substrate scope. A possible mechanism is proposed on the basis of a series of control experiments and DMSO¹⁸ isotopic labelling experiments.