Bu₄NI-catalyzed decarboxylative acyloxylation of an sp ³ C-H bond adjacent to a heteroatom with α-oxocarboxylic acids

A novel metal-free decarboxylative acyloxylation of an sp³ C-H bond in formamides and ethers has been explored. A variety of N-acyloxymethylamides and α-acyloxy ethers could be easily synthesized by this method. Preliminary mechanistic studies have shown that the reaction proceeded via a radical process.