Synthesis of α,β‐Unsaturated Ketones with Secondary Alcohols and Aldehydes Catalyzed by Fe(acac)3

Abstract An efficient and environmentally friendly methodology for the direct synthesis of α , β ‐unsaturated ketones by cross‐coupling of secondary alcohols and aldehydes is developed. The transformation is based on Fe(acac) 3 ‐catalyzed Oppenauer oxidation and Claisen‐Schmidt reaction, in which aldehydes are used as oxidants to oxidize secondary alcohols to ketones, and then in situ condensation with aldehydes to form α , β ‐unsaturated ketones. The reaction proceeds under base‐free conditions with a wide range of substrates and good compatibility of functional groups. Gram‐scale experiments show the good applicability of this method.