Boron trifluoride was found to serve as an efficient catalyst for the reaction of β,δ-triketones with H2O2 producing tricyclic monoperoxides in yields from 48–93%. BF3 acts simultaneously as a catalyst and co-solvent. The synthesis can be scaled up to tens of grams. The resulting peroxides can be easily isolated from the reaction mixture by column chromatography.
Key words
boron trifluoride - catalyst - peroxides - triketones - hydrogen peroxide