Molybdenum-Catalyzed Deoxygenation of Heteroaromatic N-Oxides and Hydroxides using Pinacol as Reducing Agent

A molybdenum-catalyzed deoxygenation of pyridine N-oxides and N-hydroxybenzotriazoles, as well as other azole N-oxides, has been developed using pinacol as an environmentally friendly oxo-acceptor. The only by-products are acetone and water making the process a convenient alternative to established protocols in terms of waste generation. The reaction is highly chemoselective and a variety of functional groups are tolerated. The processes are usually very clean allowing the isolation of the pure deoxygenated products after a simple extraction in most cases.