One-Pot Preparation of Alcohols from Aromatic Olefins and Acrylic Acid Derivatives by Cobalt(II) Porphyrin-Catalyzed Reductive Oxygenation Followed by Reduction with Trimethyl Phosphite

Various aromatic olefins and acrylic acid derivatives were converted to benzyl alcohols and α-hydroxyalkanoic acid derivatives in good yields by the reductive oxygenation with oxygen and triethylsilane in the presence of a catalytic amount of cobalt(II) porphyrin followed by treating the reaction mixture with trimethyl phosphite.