Silver(I)‐Catalyzed Widely Applicable Aerobic 1,2‐Diol Oxidative Cleavage

The oxidative cleavage of 1,2‐diols is a fundamental organic transformation. The stoichiometric oxidants that are still predominantly used for such oxidative cleavage, such as H5IO6 , Pb(OAc)4 , and KMnO4 , generate stoichiometric hazardous waste. Herein, we describe a widely applicable and highly selective silver(I)‐catalyzed oxidative cleavage of 1,2‐diols that consumes atmospheric oxygen as the sole oxidant, thus serving as a potentially greener alternative to the classical transformations. Go silver, go green: The oxidative cleavage of 1,2‐diols is one of the most fundamental organic transformations; however, the stoichiometric oxidants that are generally used (H5IO6, Pb(OAc)4, KMnO4) generate stoichiometric hazardous waste. Such oxidants can be avoided by the highly selective silver(I)‐catalyzed oxidative cleavage of 1,2‐diols with atmospheric oxygen as the sole oxidant (see scheme).