Silver(I)-Catalyzed Widely Applicable Aerobic 1,2-Diol Oxidative Cleavage.

The oxidative cleavage of 1,2-diols is a fundamental organic transformation. The stoichiometric oxidants that are still predominantly used for such oxidative cleavage, such as H5 IO6  , Pb(OAc)4  , and KMnO4  , generate stoichiometric hazardous waste. Herein, we describe a widely applicable and highly selective silver(I)-catalyzed oxidative cleavage of 1,2-diols that consumes atmospheric oxygen as the sole oxidant, thus serving as a potentially greener alternative to the classical transformations.