Tandem Oxidative Ring-Opening/Cyclization Reaction in Seconds in Open Atmosphere for the Synthesis of 1-Tetralones in Water-Acetonitrile.

A mild and practical tandem oxidative ring-opening/cyclization reaction mediated by Ce4+ for the synthesis of 1-tetralones is presented. This rapid transformation was completed within 30 s and conducted in an open reactor at 0 °C in a water-acetonitrile mixture. Various cyclobutanol derivatives are transformed into desired products in good to high yields, and this reaction can be easily scaled up to the gram scale.