The in situ silylzed ether deprotection-oxidation-Wittig reaction using manganese dioxide as the oxidant in the presence of one equivalent of acetic acid and stable phosphoranes has been applied to various silyl ethers such as benzylic, propargylic, allylic and alkylic silyl ethers. The reaction results in the direct carbon-carbon double bond formation from silyl ethers to give the corresponding α,β-unsaturated esters. The structures of the products were confirmed by IR and ¹H NMR spectra.

Key words: silyl ether, Wittig reaction, manganese dioxide, α,β-unsaturated ester