Direct carbon-carbon bond formation via soft enolization: a facile and efficient synthesis of 1,3-diketones.

Ketones undergo soft enolate formation and acylation on treatment with MgBr(2).OEt(2), i-Pr(2)NEt, and various acylating agents to give 1,3-diketones. The process is particularly efficient for N-acylbenzotriazoles and O-Pfp esters, and, in these cases, is conducted with untreated, reagent-grade CH(2)Cl(2) open to the air, thus providing an exceptionally simple approach to the synthesis of this important class of compounds.