Direct α‐Alkylation of Ketones with Alcohols in Water. Issue 1 (20th November 2013) - Xu, Guoqiang
Abstract The direct α‐alkylation of ketones with alcohols has emerged as a new green protocol to construct CC bonds with H2O as the sole byproduct. In this work, a very simple and convenient Pd/C catalytic system for the direct α‐alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols in pure water is developed. Based on this catalytic system, aqueous mixtures of dilute acetone, 1‐butanol, and ethanol (mimicking ABE fermentation products) can be directly transformed into C5–C11 or longer‐chain ketones and alcohols, which are precursors to fuels.