Baeyer-Villiger Oxidation Using Hydrogen Peroxide

The Baeyer-Villiger (BV) oxidation of carbonyl compounds to the corresponding esters or lactones is one of the most important transformations. We recently introduced a highly efficient and selective LiB(C6F5)(4)- or Ca[B(C6F5)(4)](2)- catalyzed BV oxidation of ketones with aqueous hydrogen peroxide to give the corresponding lactones in high yield. In this perspective article, we focus on our discovery and the development of BV oxidation reactions and cascade oxidative transformations through representative metal catalysts and organocatalysts.