Neither free halogen nor halogenite has to be used for the haloform reaction if it is carried out electrocatalytically. Reduction of 1 (R = Ph, 1‐naphthyl, Me(CH2)5, iPr, PhCHCH) in MeOH in the presence of NaBr at 30 °C and a constant current density of 220 mA cm−2 suffices in order to obtain the methyl ester 2 in 61–68% yield. Under the same conditions ketones such as PhCOEt afford α‐hydroxyacetals, in the case of 1, R = PhCH2, on the other hand, predominantly the Favorski rearrangement product methyl 3‐phenylpropionate is formed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.