Oxidative decarboxylation of arylacetic acids in water: One-pot transition-metal-free synthesis of aldehydes and ketones

One-pot transition-metal-free synthesis of aromatic aldehydes and ketones via oxidative decarboxylation of arylacetic acids in water is developed. Protocol relies on the direct decarboxylation of sp(3)-hybridized carbon in water without any over oxidation into carboxylic acids with minimal waste. Reaction mechanism is investigated and application of this protocol is demonstrated on a gram scale. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.