Cooperative Iodine and Nitrate Catalyzed Oxidation of Stilbenes to <i>α</i>‐Diketones in Water

An efficient oxidation of stilbenes to α-diketones co-catalyzed by bismuth nitrate and iodine is reported. The utilization of molecular oxygen as a terminal oxidant and water as the reaction solvent provides a low-cost and environmentally friendly approach to preparing the α-diketone derivatives from readily available stilbenes. Isotope labeling experiments suggest that the two oxygen atoms of the α- diketone products mainly originate from water. The method displays high functional group tolerance and we have demonstrated a concise route for preparing trifenagrel and HIV-1 integrase inhibitors from 1,2-diphenylethene.