Dirhodium (II) caprolactamate: An exceptional catalyst for allylic oxidation

AJ Catino, RE Forslund, MP Doyle

Index: Catino, Arthur J.; Forslund, Raymond E.; Doyle, Michael P. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2004 , vol. 126, # 42 p. 13622 - 13623

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Citation Number: 160

Abstract

The oxidation of organic molecules represents a fundamentally important chemical process. Particularly important is allylic oxidation, whereby a single methylene unit is converted directly into a carbonyl group. In this communication, we report that dirhodium (II) caprolactamate [Rh2 (cap) 4] in combination with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (terminal oxidant) effectively catalyzes the allylic oxidation of a variety of olefins and enones. The reaction is ...