AbstractA few of the many uses for α-keto esters include enzyme inhibitors1and antiinflammitory agents.2They are also useful reagents in organic synthesis.3Until now, most efficient methods for synthesizing these compounds typically involved either toxic side products, such as hydrogen cyanide,4or required expensive or highly reactive starting reagents, such as substituted ethynyl ethers.5Other simple synthetic methods had only moderate yields or were effective with specific substrates.6Now, we are proposing a convenient method to prepare aryl a-keto esters which minimizes these problems.