Bismuth compounds in organic synthesis. Deprotection of ketoximes using bismuth bromide-bismuth triflate

Ketoximes undergo deprotection in CH3CN/acetone/H2O (3:6:1) in the presence of 20–40 mol% BiBr3/5 mol% Bi(OTf)3. Bismuth(III) salts are relatively non-toxic, insensitive to air and inexpensive. These features coupled with the use of a relatively non-toxic solvent system make this method an attractive alternative to existing routes for deprotection of ketoximes.