Electrochemical oxidation of propargyl alcohol: rapid access to an unprecedented dioxo-orthoester under mild conditions†‡

A novel, environmentally benign, metal-free method has been developed for synthesizing unique dioxo-orthoester derivatives through electrochemical oxidation of propargyl alcohols. This straightforward approach efficiently converts readily accessible s-propargyl alcohols with terminal alkynes into dioxo-orthoesters, which constitute an unexplored class of compounds. The operational ease, inexpensive starting materials and broad substrate scope make this method appealing.