Catalytic synthesis of aldehydes and ketones under mild conditions using TEMPO/Oxone

[formula: see text] A novel, metal-free oxidation system for the catalytic synthesis of aldehydes and ketones--TEMPO/Oxone--has been developed. An optimized reaction protocol proved especially successful for the synthesis of ketones. Additionally, the influence of quarternary ammonium salts on the catalysis was studied. The mild conditions of this novel procedure were shown to tolerate even sensitive silyl protective groups which can otherwise be cleaved in the presence of Oxone.