Bi(OTf)(3)-catalyzed Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of carbonyl compounds with m-CPBA

An efficient method has been developed for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of a variety of carbonyl compounds with m-CPBA to afford the corresponding esters/lactones using bismuth triflate as catalyst. The catalyst is reused for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation without significant loss of catalytic activity for three cycles.