N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Ester Synthesis from Organic Halides through Incorporation of Oxygen Atoms from Air

Abstract Oxygenation reactions with molecular oxygen (O 2 ) as the oxygen source provides a green and straightforward strategy for the construction of O‐containing compounds. Demonstrated here is a novel N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed oxidative transformation of simple and readily available organic halides into valuable esters through the incorporation of O‐atoms from O 2 . Mechanistic studies prove that the deoxy Breslow intermediate generated in situ is oxidized to a Breslow intermediate for further transformation by this oxidative protocol. This method broadens the field of NHC catalysis and promotes oxygenation reactions with O 2 .