Polyaniline-supported tungsten-catalyzed oxidative deoximation reaction with high catalyst turnover number

Polyaniline-supported tungsten (W@PANI) was easily prepared by immersing polyaniline (PANI) in the aqueous solution of Na2WO4. It was found to be an efficient catalyst for oxidative deoximation reaction, the very important transformation for pharmaceutical industry. Besides the green features, the method employed very few of catalytic tungsten (0.048 mol% vs. oxime substrates), resulting in the high turnover numbers (TONs) of the catalyst (ca. 103 mol/mol) and the low metal residues in product (<0.1 ppm). The reaction is applicable for a variety of substrates, including those containing heterocycles, which are key intermediates in medicine synthesis. It has also been successfully magnified to kilogram scale production to afford the desired carbonyl products smoothly.