Facile deprotection of dithioacetals by using a novel 1,4-benzoquinone/cat. NaI system

The combination of 1,4-benzoquinone and a catalytic amount of NaI was found to be effective for the deprotection of dithioacetals. The reactions proceeded efficiently under mild, near-neutral reaction conditions, producing a wide range of aryl and alkyl aldehydes and ketones generally in high yields with good functional group compatibility. The method developed therefore represents a general, facile, and highly applicable approach for deprotecting dithioacetals.