Zinc(II) and Cadmium(II) Salphen Catalyzed Alkylation Reactions to Form α-Alkylated Ketones

The zinc (II) and cadmium (II)-salphen catalyzed α-alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols is reported. Various α-alkylated ketones were obtained in good yields through a borrowing hydrogen strategy by using 1 % of catalysts and a catalytic amount of NaOH (10 mol%) as the base under air atmosphere. All synthesized compounds were characteized by 1H and 13C NMR.