Metal-free oxidative radical arylation of styrene with anilines to access 2-arylacetophenones and selective oxidation of amine

A green, environmentally benign and cost-effective method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-arylacetophenones and aryl aldehydes from amines under metal-free conditions. The convenient method involves the oxidative addition of aryl radical to alkenes to afford 2-arylacetophenones in the presence of tert-butyl nitrite and ascorbic acid. In addition, the efficient conversion of benzyl amines to aromatic aldehydes has also been demonstrated under aqueous mediated conditions. The attractive protocol offers readily accessible reagents, the simple and readily available mild oxidant, a broad range of substrates, good yields, scale-up synthesis, metal-free, operational simplicity and mild conditions to access a variety of carbonyl compounds.