A new, environmentally benign, convenient, and easy method of synthesizing tertiary α-hydroxyphosphonates by the triethylamine-catalyzed hydrophosphonylation of unactivated ketones was developed. In the presence of triethylamine, aromatic or heteroaromatic ketones can react with phosphite to form tertiary α-hydroxyphosphonates under solvent-free and mild conditions. The proposed method was also suitable for functionalized ketones...
