Enantioselective One-Pot Synthesis of α,β-Epoxy Ketones via Aerobic Oxidation of Cyclopropanols

An efficient, mild, and environmentally benign method was developed for the asymmetric synthesis of 2-oxyranyl ketones from easily available tertiary cyclopropanols. The one-pot protocol includes the aerobic oxidation of cyclopropanol derivatives catalyzed by Mn(III) complexes followed by the poly-l-leucine-assisted stereoselective elimination of water from the intermediate peroxides with DBU to afford the corresponding epoxy ketones in high yields and good-to-excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97%).