# Mild Direct Remote Hydroxylation of Enals in Air

## TL;DR

A new method uses air to add hydroxyl groups to specific aldehydes, which could be useful in drug development.

## Contribution

A mild and selective hydroxylation method using air as the oxidant for enals with acidic γ-carbons.

## Key findings

- Remote hydroxylation of enals using air achieves up to 80% yield.
- The method selectively targets enals with acidic γ-carbons.
- A catalytic enantioselective γ-hydroxylation of an enal was successfully demonstrated.

## Abstract

A mild direct remote hydroxylation of α,β-unsaturated
aldehydes is reported. Air is the oxidant, and tertiary alcohol products
are generated in up to 80% yield. This method selectively hydroxylates
enals with acidic γ-carbons and therefore may be suitable for
late-stage installation of remote hydroxyl groups on medicinal aldehydes.
Mechanistic studies that enabled the development of this transformation
are described, as is the first example of catalytic enantioselective
γ-hydroxylation of an enal.