Cobalt-Catalyzed α‑Alkylation of Ketones with Primary Alcohols

An ionic cobalt–PNP complex is developed for the efficient α-alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols for the first time. A broad range of ketone and alcohol substrates were employed, leading to the isolation of alkylated ketones with yields up to 98%. The method was successfully applied to the greener synthesis of quinoline derivatives while using 2-aminobenzyl alcohol as an alkylating reagent.