Bioinspired Metal-Free Formal Decarbonylation of α-Branched Aliphatic Aldehydes at Ambient Temperature.

A sequence of a Baeyer-Villiger oxidation and a Lewis acid-promoted reduction of the resulting formate with Et3 SiH enabled the metal-free formal decarbonylation of tertiary and secondary aliphatic aldehydes. The new methodology mimics the biosynthetic decarbonylation pathway through oxidative C-C bond cleavage rather than the C(O)-H bond activation known from conventional Tsuji-Wilkinson-type reactions. The substrate scope is complementary to existing transition-metal-catalyzed protocols.