Synthesis of α-keto aldehydes via selective Cu(I)-catalyzed oxidation of α-hydroxy ketones.

An efficient approach to synthesize α-keto aldehydes was established through selective oxidation of α-hydroxy ketones catalyzed by Cu(I) using oxygen as oxidant. A wide array of α-keto aldehydes was prepared with isolated yields of up to 87%. The potential utilization of this reaction was evaluated by gram-scale reactions and synthetic applications.