Silyl enol ethers 1, which are readily available from the corresponding aldehydes, react rapidly with m-chloroperbenzoic acid to afford the protected a-hydroxy aldehydes 3 in good yield. Treatment of 3 with acetic anhydride and triethylamine produces a-acetoxy aldehydes 5. This sequence provides a simple procedure for a-hy-droxylation of aldehydes. Silyl enol ethers of ketones 10 are converted directly to a-siloxy ketones 11 with m-chloroperbenzoic ...