A Nonoxidative Sequence for the Preparation of 1,2-Diketone Derivatives Using Aldehyde and Organometallic Building Blocks.

This study investigates a synthetic sequence for the preparation of 1,2-diketone products. The sequence avoids oxidative conditions and instead employs reliable transformations including the Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons and addition of Grignard reagents to -methyl--methoxy (Weinreb) amide intermediates. The reaction sequence is suitable for the synthesis of nonsymmetric aliphatic and aryl substituted derivatives.