Facile Synthesis of Single α-tert-Alkylated Acetaldehydes by Hydroxyalkylation of Enamides in Aqueous Solution

In this work, we established a general protocol to synthesize single -tert-alkylated acetaldehydes via Cu-catalyzed hydroxyalkylation of enamides in aqueous solutions. The yields of the products were very high and there was excellent functional group compatibility. Our reaction allows easy access to highly functionalized acetaldehydes that can be used to synthesize further useful compounds including spirocycles. The control experiments revealed that this reaction includes hydroxyalkylation processes via radical reactions.