A direct Cross-Dehydrogenative-Coupling (CDC) between benzyl ethers and simple ketones was developed without using any metal catalyst. By using DDQ, various benzyl ethers and simples ketones were coupled together directly to form β-alkoxyl ketones efficiently. A mechanism in which the DDQ serves the double roles of an oxidizing agent and an organomediator was proposed.
[Ishihara, Kazuaki; Hanaki, Naoyuki; Funahashi, Miyuki; Miyata, Mayumi; Yamamoto, Hisashi Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 1995 , vol. 68, # 6 p. 1721 - 1730]
