ICl/AgNO3 Co-Catalyzed Radical Oxidation of Diaryl- and Alkylarylalkynes into 1,2-Diketones.

A novel ICl/AgNO3 co-catalyzed radical oxidation of diaryl- and alkylarylalkynes into 1,2-diketones is reported. The reaction proceeded smoothly under mild conditions and generated 1,2-diketones in moderate to good yields with a good tolerance of functional groups. Furthermore, the obtained C4-(1,2-diketoaryl)isoxazoles could react smoothly with 1,2-diaminobenzene to form C4-(3-arylquinoxalin-2-yl)isoxazoles. At last, a new one-pot strategy for the synthesis of quinoxalines from 1,2-diphenylethynes and 1,2-diaminobenzene is also reported.