An efficient and convenient transformation of α-haloketones to α-hydroxyketones using cesium formate

A new safe and convenient transformation has been developed. In the presence of cesium formate in dry MeOH solution, α-haloketones underwent direct conversion reaction to afford α-hydroxyketone in excellent yields. Furthermore, this methodology can be extended and applied in 2-chloro-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)acetamide, 2-chloro-N-(2,6-dimethylphen-yl)acetamide, 1-(bromomethylsulfonyl)benzene, and N-(bromomethyl)phthalimide to give the corresponding products in moderate to excellent yields.