Selective Transformation of Vicinal Glycols to α-Hydroxy Acetates in Water via a Dehydrogenation and Oxidization Relay Process by a Self-Supported Single-Site Iridium Catalyst

α-Hydroxy acids have attracted broad attention because of their prevalence in bioactive molecules and biodegradable polymers, but their conventional syntheses are usually restricted to aromatic substrates, especially, in a stepwise manner. Herein, we disclose the transformation of alkyl and aryl vicinal glycols to α-hydroxy acetates in water under the air atmosphere with our solid self-supported NHC-Ir single-site catalyst. Both aliphatic and...