Sommelet Reaction

M. Sommelet, Compt. Rend. 157, 852 (1913); Bull. Soc. Chim. France [4] 23, 95 (1918).

Preparation of aldehydes from aralkyl halides by treatment with hexamethylenetetramine to yield the quaternary salt, followed by mild hydrolysis:



Early reviews: S. J. Angyal, Org. React. 8, 197-217 (1954); Bayer, Houben-Weyl 7/1, 194 (1954). Synthetic applications: S. Miyano et al., Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan 59, 3285 (1986); D. Evans et al., Heterocycles 26, 1569 (1987). Cf. Kröhnke Oxidation.