One-step direct oxidation of fullerene-fused alkoxy ethers to ketones for evaporable fullerene derivatives.

ABSTRACT: Ketones are widely applied moieties in designing functional materials and are commonly obtained by oxidation of alcohols. However, when alcohols are protected/functionalized, the direct oxidation strategies are substantially curbed. Here we show a highly efficient copper bromide promoted one-step direct oxidation of benzylic ethers to ketones with the aid of a fullerene pendant. Mechanistic studies unveil that fullerene can serve as an electron pool proceeding the one-step oxidation of alkoxy group to ketone. In the absence of the fullerene pendant, the unreachable activation energy threshold hampers the direct oxidation of the alkoxy group. In the presence of the fullerene pendant, generated fullerene radical cation can activate the neighbour C-H bond of the alkoxy moiety, allowing a favo

SUBMITTER: Lin HS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9814674 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature