Ruthenium-Catalyzed Oxidation of Allyl Alcohols with Intermolecular Hydrogen Transfer: Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds

Ruthenium-catalyzed oxidation of multisubstituted allyl alcohols in the presence of benzaldehyde gives enals or enones in good yields. Unlike the commonly reported ruthenium-catalyzed isomerization reaction of allyl alcohols to give saturated ketones, an intermolecular rather than intramolecular hydrogen transfer is involved in this transformation. This reaction offers an efficient, mild, and high-yielding method for the preparation of substituted α,β-unsaturated compounds