Cooperative Iodine and Nitrate Catalyzed Oxidation of stilbenes to α‐Diketones in Water

Abstract: Abstract. An efficient oxidation of stilbenes to α‐diketones co‐catalyzed by bismuth nitrate and iodine is reported. The utilization of molecular oxygen as a terminal oxidant and water as the reaction solvent provides a low‐cost and environmentally friendly approach to preparing the α‐diketone derivatives from readily available stilbenes. Isotope labeling experiments suggest that the two oxygen atoms of the α‐ diketone products mainly originate from water. The method displays high functional group tolerance and we have demonstrated a concise route for preparing trifenagrel and HIV‐1 integrase inhibitors from 1,2‐diphenylethene.