Direct Catalytic Transformation of Olefins into α-Hydroxy Ketones with Hydrogen Peroxide Catalyzed by Peroxotungstophosphate

Aliphatic olefins were directly converted into α-hydroxy ketones with acidic aqueous hydrogen peroxide in the presence of catalytic amount of peroxotungstophosphate (PCWP) under the biphasic system using chloroform as a solvent. The acidic medium was necessary to open the resulting epoxide to vic-diol which was subsequently oxidized to α-hydroxy ketones.