A mild and catalyst-free α-benzoyloxylation of tertiary amides

An α-C–H oxygenation of amides using Togni reagent II and an umpolung strategy is reported. α-Benzoyloxy amides were prepared in moderate-to-high yields from tertiary amides under mild and catalyst-free reaction conditions. All reagents are commercially available, easy to use, and compatible with various functional groups and rings. α-Benzoyloxy amides could be easily transformed into the corresponding α-hydroxy amides in almost quantitative yields. This transformation has significant potential for the synthesis of important compounds in pharmaceutical and agricultural fields.