Iodine(V) reagents in organic synthesis. Part 4. o-Iodoxybenzoic acid as a chemospecific tool for single electron transfer-based oxidation processes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja012127+

o-Iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX), a readily available hypervalent iodine(V) reagent, was found to be highly effective in carrying out oxidations adjacent to carbonyl functionalities (to form α, β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds) and at benzylic and related carbon centers (to form conjugated aromatic carbonyl systems). Mechanistic investigations led to the conclusion that these new reactions are initiated by single electron transfer (SET) from the substrate to IBX to form a radical cation which reacts further to give the final products. Fine-tuning of the reaction conditions allowed remarkably selective transformations within multifunctional substrates, elevating the status of this reagent to that of a highly useful and chemoselective oxidant.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ja012127+

Published on Web 02/16/2002
Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis. Part 4.
o-Iodoxybenzoic Acid as a Chemospecific Tool for Single
Electron Transfer-Based Oxidation Processes
K. C. Nicolaou,* T. Montagnon, P. S. Baran, and Y.-L. Zhong
Contribution from the Department of Chemistry and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology,
The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, and
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UniVersity of California, San Diego,
9500 Gilman DriVe, La Jolla, California 92093
Received September 4, 2001
Abstract: o-Iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX), a readily available hypervalent iodine(V) reagent, was found to be
highly effective in carrying out oxidations adjacent to carbonyl functionalities (to form R,â-unsaturated
carbonyl compounds) and at benzylic and related carbon centers (to form conjugated aromatic carbonyl
systems). Mechanistic investigations led to the conclusion that these new reactions are initiated by single
electron transfer (SET) from the substrate to IBX to form a radical cation which reacts further to give the
final products. Fine-tuning of the reaction conditions allowed remarkably selective transformations within
multifunctional substrates, elevating the status of this reagent to that of a highly useful and chemoselective
oxidant.
Introduction
In the preceding three papers,1-3 we have presented an array
of useful transformations mediated by the iodine(V)-based
reagents Dess-Martin periodinane (DMP), o-iodoxybenzoic
acid (IBX), and Ac-IBX (see Figure 1). In the current paper,
we expand on this theme with a description of a powerful new
methodology which employs IBX for the facile and selective
oxidation adjacent to carbonyl and aromatic moieties.
As a prelude to this article, we begin with a brief perspective
of hypervalent iodine reagents in organic synthesis.4 Prior to
these studies, the chemistry of iodine(V)-based reagents was
relegated mainly to the realm of alcohol oxidation and other
closely related processes.5 Contrary to this, iodine(III)-based
reagents have been widely examined, and their chemistry plays
a critical role in a plethora of well-known reactions.6 A possible
cause for the lack of extensive research into the promising
iodine(V) manifold (see Figure 1 for selected examples) could
Figure 1. Selected hypervalent iodine (III and V) reagents and their
relationships.
(1) Nicolaou, K. C.; Baran, P. S.; Zhong, Y.-L.; Sugita, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2002, 124, 2212-2220.
(2) Nicolaou, K. C.; Sugita, K.; Baran, P. S.; Zhong, Y.-L. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2002, 124, 2221-2232.
be due to the fear that these compounds are explosive and
inconvenient to synthesize. Although IBX was reported to be
explosive,7 it was later found that the sample in question was
contaminated with residual bromine which is likely to have
contributed significantly to this negative feature.8 Since then, a
superior protocol for the oxidation of o-iodobenzoic acid to IBX
has been developed by Santagostino et al.9 The Santagostino
method9 is extremely simple to perform and uses inexpensive
Oxone10 in water, thus eliminating the risks posed by dangerous
contaminants (e.g., bromine). All the reactions with IBX and
(3) Nicolaou, K. C.; Baran, P. S.; Zhong, Y.-L.; Barluenga, S.; Hunt, K. W.;
Kranich, R.; Vega, J. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 2233-2244.
(4) For selected recent reviews, see: (a) Wirth, T.; Hirt, U. H. Synthesis 1999,
1271. (b) Varvoglis, A.; Spyroudis, S. Synlett 1998, 221. (c) Kitamura, T.;
Fujiwara, Y. Org. Prep. Proced. Int. 1997, 29, 409. (d) Stang, P. J.;
Zhdankin, V. V. Chem. ReV. 1996, 96, 1123. (e) Moriarty, R. M.; Vaid, R.
K. Synthesis 1990, 431. (f) Varvoglis, A., Ed. HyperValent Iodine In
Organic Synthesis; Academic Press: San Diego, 1996; p 256.
(5) For the oxidation of alcohols, see: (a) Frigerio, M.; Santagostino, M.
Tetrahedron Lett. 1994, 35, 8019. (b) Frigerio, M.; Santagostino, M.;
Sputore, S.; Palmisano, G. J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 7272. (c) De Munari,
S.; Frigerio, M.; Santagostino, M. J. Org. Chem. 1996, 61, 9272. For closely
related processes: (d) Corey, E. J.; Palani, A. Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36,
3485. (e) Corey, E. J.; Palani, A. Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36, 7945.
(6) For selected reviews see ref 4 and Kirschning, A. J. Prakt. Chem. 1998,
340, 184.
(7) Plumb, J. B.; Harper, D. J. Chem. Eng. News 1990, July 16, 3.
(8) Dess, D. B.; Martin, J. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 7277.
9
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A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
Scheme 1. IBX-Induced Synthesis of R,â-Unsaturated Systems
from Alcohols and Ketones: Proof of Principlea
Figure 2. Mechanistically inspired design of the IBX-based process for
introduction of R,â-unsaturation adjacent to a carbonyl function.
DMP reported in this series of papers are homogeneous,
generally conducted at 45-90 °C, and have been repeatedly
carried out on multigram scales without any incidents.
The ubiquity and utility of R,â-unsaturated compounds in
organic chemistry coupled with the difficulties that are often
associated with their fabrication led us to investigate the
possibility of accessing them using an iodine(V)-based reagent
(see Figure 2). Methods to introduce unsaturation adjacent to a
carbonyl functionality have been developed over the years;11
however, many of the protocols rely on toxic and foul selenium
reagents in one- or two-step procedures.12 Another regularly
employed tactic involves preparation of the corresponding
silylenol ether from the parent carbonyl compound followed
by palladium-catalyzed oxidation, a sequence in which both
steps require expensive reagents.13 Prior to the realization that
IBX behaves as a single electron transfer (SET) oxidant14 at
elevated temperatures, we had postulated that the enol form of
a carbonyl group might be captured by IBX to effect the desired
oxidation as shown in Figure 2. Because IBX is known to
oxidize alcohols,5a the prospect of accomplishing multiple
oxidative processes in one operation was particularly enticing.
Indeed, we found the IBX-mediated dehydrogenation of car-
bonyl compounds to be mild, swift, and highly efficient.15
Primary and secondary alcohols or aldehydes and ketones are
all suitable substrates for this remarkably general reaction (vide
infra).
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (1.2 equiv), DMSO, 25 °C, 3 h,
98%; (b) IBX (2.0 equiv), DMSO, 65 °C, 6 h, 88%; (c) IBX (2.5 equiv),
DMSO, 75 °C, 12 h, 74%; (d) IBX (2.5 equiv), DMSO, 65 °C, 6 h, 82%;
(e) IBX (3.0 equiv), DMSO, 80 °C, 15 h, 81%; (f) IBX (4.0 equiv), DMSO,
80 °C, 22 h, 76%.
the selective oxidation at the carbon adjacent to aromatic systems
was found to be notably general.17
A full account of the discovery, scope, and generality of the
IBX-mediated oxidation adjacent to carbonyl and aromatic
moieties is presented herein and is accompanied by discussion
of the mechanistic probes which led to the conclusion that this
chemistry proceeds via a SET pathway.
Results and Discussion
1. Dehydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds Using IBX.
As alluded to earlier, we found the IBX-mediated dehydroge-
nation of carbonyl compounds to be general and, most signifi-
cantly, controllable for different oxidation states. Thus, as shown
in Scheme 1, cycloheptanol (1) could be directly converted to
2-cyclohepten-1-one (3, 82% yield) or cycloheptadienone (4,
76% yield) simply by varying the number of equivalents of IBX
and employing slightly elevated (80 °C) temperatures to access
the latter. If desired, the net reaction could also be performed
in a stepwise fashion proceeding from cycloheptanol (1) through
cycloheptanone (2, 98% yield) to 2-cyclohepten-1-one (3, 88%
yield) and, finally, to cycloheptadienone (4, 74% yield) (Scheme
1). Aside from accomplishing multiple oxidations in the same
pot with admirable efficiency and ease, the synthesis of dienones
is now trivial. Cycloheptadienone (4), for instance, has been,
despite its simplicity, a constant challenge for synthetic organic
chemists often requiring laborious multistep procedures for its
preparation.18
This smooth route to cycloheptadienone (4) also constitutes
a formal total synthesis of tropinone (6) as shown in Scheme
2.19 Thus, when cycloheptadienone (4) was treated with meth-
ylamine hydrochloride and K2CO3 in MeOH for 2 h, tropinone
(6) was isolated in 72% yield.19 On the basis of this favorable
result, we then designed a cascade transformation commencing
with cycloheptanol (1) and affording tropinone (6) in one pot.
Remarkably, treatment of cycloheptanol (1) with IBX (4.0 equiv)
Further investigations strongly suggested that IBX behaves
as a SET-based oxidant in this dehydrogenation and in other
reactions examined,14 leading us to hypothesize that benzylic
positions should also succumb to the oxidative power of this
versatile reagent. If chemoselective and easily controllable, such
a process would be a valuable tool in organic synthesis in view
of the ready availability and robustness of the potential substrates
and the widespread utility of the corresponding oxidized
products.16 As with the dehydrogenation of carbonyl compounds,
(9) Frigerio, M.; Santagostino, M.; Sputore, S. J. Org. Chem. 1999, 64, 4537.
This method affords crystalline IBX (g95% purity) in high yields. Despite
the availability of such pure IBX, heating this reagent above 200 °C is still
not recommended, as is the case with most oxidants. We have stored IBX
at 25 °C for an excess of 6 months with no significant degradation as judged
by 1H NMR analysis, provided light was excluded from the container.
(10) OXONE [2KHSO5‚KHSO4‚K2SO4] can be purchased from Aldrich at a
catalogue price of $26.20 for 1 kg.
(11) For a general review of available methods for dehydrogenation R to a
carbonyl moiety, see: Buckle, D. R.; Pinto, I. L. In ComprehensiVe Organic
Synthesis; Trost, B. M., Ed.; Pergamon: Oxford, 1991; Vol. 7, pp 119-
146.
(12) Reich, H. J.; Renga, J. M.; Reich, I. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1975, 97, 5434.
(13) Ito, Y.; Saegusa, H.; Saegusa, T. J. Org. Chem. 1978, 43, 1011.
(14) Nicolaou, K. C.; Baran, P. S.; Kranich, R.; Zhong, Y.-L.; Sugita, K.; Zou,
N. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 202.
(15) Nicolaou, K. C.; Zhong, Y.-L.; Baran, P. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122,
7596.
(16) Franz, G.; Sheldon, R. A. In Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial
Chemistry, 5th ed.; Wolfgang, G., Yamamoto, Y. S., Campbell, F. T.,
Pfefferkorn, R., Rounsaville, J. F., Eds.; VCH: Weinheim, 1991; p 261.
(17) Nicolaou, K. C.; Zhong, Y.-L.; Baran, P. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123,
3183.
(18) Garbisch, E. W. J. Org. Chem. 1965, 30, 9.
(19) Bottini, A. T.; Gal, J. J. Org. Chem. 1971, 36, 1718.
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Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis 4
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 2. One-Pot Total Synthesis of Tropinone (6) from
Cycloheptanol (1), Cycloheptanone (2), or Cycloheptadienone (4)
Using IBXa
Table 1. IBX-Mediated Dehydrogenation of Steroid-Based
Substratesa
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (4.0 equiv), DMSO, 25-85 °C, 22
h, cool to 25 °C, add K2CO3 followed by MeNH3+Cl-, 3 h, 58%; (b) IBX
(3.0 equiv), DMSO, 80 °C, 22 h, cool to 25 °C, add K2CO3 followed by
MeNH3+Cl-, 3 h, 59%; (c) K2CO3, MeNH3+Cl-, MeOH, 25 °C, 2 h, 72%.
Scheme 3. Stepwise Synthesis of the Tropinone Analogue (10)
and One-Pot Oxidation of Cyclooctanone (7) with IBXa
a Reactions were carried out on a 0.1-1.0 mmol scale in DMSO or
fluorobenzene:DMSO 2:1. bIsolated yield of chromatographically pure
compound. cPlus 7% isolated dienone (15). dPlus 4% isolated dienone (17).
(11-13) could be controlled simply by modulating the number
of equivalents of IBX and the temperature employed (14-18,
68-84% yields). In this study, it was gratifying to find that the
selectivity extends to the dehydrogenation of a six-membered
ring in preference to a five-membered ring when both are present
within the same molecule (entries 3 and 4, Table 1). The triple
oxidation of diol 13 (entry 5, Table 1) to the corresponding
enone-aldehyde (18, 68% yield) illustrates the power of this
reagent to manipulate complex carbon frameworks.
When we investigated the efficacy of the oxidation with
medium and large ring alcohols and ketones, we came upon a
number of interesting observations. To the best of our knowl-
edge, a systematic study of the stability and ease of formation
of medium and large ring unsaturated ketones has not been
reported. The product distribution of each reaction is likely to
reflect the ability of the ring to accommodate an increase in
the number of sp2 hybridized carbons while balancing angle,
transannular, and Pitzer strains to achieve an energy minimum.21
Thus, when cyclononanone (19) (entry 1, Table 2) was submitted
to the IBX reaction, clean formation of cis-2-cyclononen-1-one
(24, 83% yield) was observed. On the basis of simple calcula-
tions,22 the cis-enone was determined to be several kilocalories/
mole more stable than the corresponding trans-enone. cis,cis-
Cyclononadienone (25, 74% yield) could also be accessed
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (1.5 equiv), DMSO, 65 °C, 6 h,
7:8:9 1:2:1.7, 86%; (b) IBX (2.0 equiv), DMSO, 75 °C, 12 h, 82%; (c)
K2CO3, MeNH3+Cl-, MeOH, 25 °C, 2 h, 77%; (d) IBX (4.0 equiv), DMSO,
65 °C, 6 h, 88%; (e) IBX (4.0 equiv), DMSO, 25-85 °C, 22 h, cool to 25
°C, add K2CO3 followed by MeNH3+Cl-, 3 h, 80%.
added portionwise at 25-80 °C over 22 h, followed by cooling
to 25 °C and sequential addition of K2CO3 and methylamine
hydrochloride, led to a 58% yield of tropinone (6) (Scheme 2).
While the elegance and timeliness of this synthesis of tropinone
(6) may not compare to the one performed by Sir Robert
Robinson in 1917,20 its efficiency and practicality does.
As shown in Scheme 3, cyclooctanone (7) could also be
dehydrogenated to cyclooctadienone (9, 88% yield) in excellent
yield using IBX. 2-Cycloocten-1-one (8) could only be obtained
as the major component of a mixture (7:8:9, 1:2:1.7, Scheme
3). This, presumably, reflects a lower activation energy for the
second oxidation when compared to that of the first and, as
such, is a unique feature of the eight-membered ring. The
tandem reaction to construct tropinone (6) (see Scheme 2) could
also be applied to cyclooctanone (7) or cyclooctadienone (9)
directly to furnish the tropinone analogue (10) in 80 and 77%
yield, respectively (see Scheme 3).
(20) Robinson, R. J. Chem. Soc. 1917, 111, 762.
(21) (a) Liebman, J. F.; Greenberg, A. Chem. ReV. 1976, 76, 311. (b) Giuseppe,
G. C. Gazz. Chim. Ital. 1986, 116, 683. (c) Dale, J. Angew. Chem., Int.
Ed. Engl. 1966, 5, 1000.
The steroid backbone is often an ideal testing ground for the
viability and power of a new synthetic method. As illustrated
in Table 1, selective dehydrogenation of a number of steroids
(22) MM3 calculations to determine total energy were performed using
ChemDraw 3D (version 4.5, Cambridge Software).
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A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
Table 2. Dehydrogenation in Medium- and Large-Ring Ketonesa
efficiently by altering the temperature and stoichiometry of IBX
employed (entry 3, Table 2). Cyclodecanone (20) (entry 4)
entered the reaction smoothly to provide cis-2-cyclodecen-1-
one (26, 88% yield) as the sole product. Despite the trans-enone
possessing a greater degree of conjugation as evidenced from
the chemical shifts in the 1H and 13C NMR spectra, calculations
revealed the cis isomer to be the more stable one.23 Despite
repeated attempts, the dienone of cyclodecanone (20) could not
be synthesized, presumably due to excessive small-angle strain.
Whitman has reported23 that cis- and trans-cyclodecenones
rapidly interconvert when treated with p-toluenesufonic acid in
refluxing benzene via an addition elimination sequence, to yield
an equilibrium mixture where the cis isomer predominates (cis:
trans 24:1). Because IBX is itself mildly acidic, we considered
the possibility that it too might mediate interconversion;
however, when trans-cyclodecenone24 was subjected to heating
in DMSO at 90 °C in the presence of IBX (4 equiv) for 48 h,
1
no interconversion was observed by H NMR spectroscopy.
Calculations on cycloundecanone derivatives22 predicted a
mixture of cis- and trans-enones resulting from the IBX
dehydrogenation, since the trans-enone (29) bears only a slightly
higher energy. In the event, the reaction (entry 6, Table 2)
provided a mixture of cis- and trans-2-cycloundecen-1-one,
favoring the latter (trans:cis ca. 1.8:1) when standard reaction
conditions were applied. Interestingly, when elevated temper-
atures, increased amounts of IBX, and a different solvent system
were utilized, the bias for the trans-enone (29) was enhanced
(trans:cis ca. 5.4:1), but only by incurring a sacrifice in yield
(entry 7, Table 2). Extensive investigation revealed that the
mixed cis,trans-dienone (30, 81% yield) could be synthesized
in high yield by revising the protocol so that IBX was added
portionwise at intervals of 4 h (entry 8, Table 2). This adaptation
proved a valuable optimization of the procedure in many cases.
Higher ring systems 22 and 23 can readily accommodate a trans
double bond, which has reduced Pitzer strain when compared
to the analogous cis double bond, without incurring energy
penalties from small angle strain because of the increased
conformational freedom associated with a larger number of
connecting methylene units. This ensures that these compounds
consistently gave rise solely to the trans-enones and dienones
in a controllable fashion in the IBX-mediated dehydrogenation
reaction (entries 9-13, Table 2).
As shown in Table 3, the reactions of a number of other
assorted cyclic systems with IBX were investigated to probe
further the characteristics of this oxidation method. Significantly,
the reaction of 3-methylcyclohexanone (35) (entry 1, Table 3)
can be carried out on a 0.2 mol scale with similar efficiency
(74% yield) but only utilizing 1.2 equiv of IBX. The tandem
oxidation of the decalin diol 37 (entry 3, Table 3) to the
corresponding dienone (46) in one pot and in 52% isolated yield
is also impressive. Oxidations of the 6-5 fused bicycle 38 (entry
4, Table 3) and the 5-5 fused bicycle 39 (entry 5, Table 3)
proceeded in excellent yield (85 and 87% yield, respectively)
and with complete regioselectivity. IBX-controlled dehydroge-
nation of the fused aromatic cyclooctanone 40 to either the
corresponding R,â-unsaturated compound (49, 58% yield) (entry
a Reactions were carried out on a 0.1-1.0 mmol scale in fluorobenzene:
(23) Whitham, G. H.; Zaidlewicz, M. J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1 1972, 1509.
(24) trans-Cyclodec-2-enone was prepared according to the procedure of Carlson,
R. G.; Bateman, J. H. Tetrahedron Lett. 1967, 42, 4151 with the following
modifications: the solution of cis-cyclodec-2-enone was irradiated for 7
min using a 450 W Hanovia medium-pressure Hg lamp and purified using
flash column chromatography [silica gel, hexanes:ether, 95:5].
DMSO (2:1) or DMSO. bIsolated yield of chromatographically pure
c
d
compound. Plus 8% cyclononadienone (25). IBX added in four portions
at 4 h intervals. ePlus 3% cycloundecadienone (3). Plus 2% cyclounde-
f
g
h
caenone (29). Plus 8% cyclodecapentadienone (34). Plus 6% cyclodeca-
pentadienone (34); py ) pyridine.
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Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis 4
A R T I C L E S
Table 3. IBX-Induced Dehydrogenation of Functionalized Cyclic
Table 4. IBX-Induced Dehydrogenation of Functionalized Acyclic
Ketonesa
Ketonesa
a Reactions were carried out on a 0.1-1.0 mmol scale in fluorobenzene:
DMSO 2:1. bIsolated yield of chromatographically pure compound. cCom-
bined isolated yield of separable isomers; TIPS ) triisopropylsilyl.
a Reactions were carried out on a 0.1-1.0 mmol scale in fluorobenzene:
DMSO 2:1 or DMSO. bIsolated yield of chromatographically pure
c
compound. Plus 5% isolated dienal (69).
6, Table 3) or the fully unsaturated benzyl tropinone (50, 60%
yield) (entry 7, Table 3) is a notable achievement. Substitution
at the R- and â-sites (R, entry 8; â, entries 1 and 4, Table 3) of
the carbonyl system does not hinder the reaction, nor does it
diminish its efficiency.
A variety of acyclic ketones and alcohols were then screened
for reaction efficiency and functional group tolerance as depicted
in Table 4. A wide range of functionalities, including acetates,
methoxy groups, and primary nitriles, could be accommodated
in the IBX-mediated dehydrogenation (entries 5-7, Table 4).
Simple unfunctionalized systems such as 53 and 54 (entries 1
and 3, Table 4) illustrate the efficiency and ease of this
oxidation. Ketone 55 (entry 4, Table 4) with an olefin group
embedded five carbon atoms away is of particular interest in
light of the SET mechanism postulated for this reaction and
because this protocol allows for the direct synthesis of a small
fragile molecule that could be awkward by other means. The
ease with which the reaction can be tailored to yield the desired
products is ably demonstrated by the primary alcohol 59 which
is conveniently converted into the corresponding R,â-unsaturated
aldehydes 69 and 70 (entries 8 and 9, Table 4). The process
works admirably well even in the presence of nitrogen-based
functional groups as demonstrated by the pyridine-based alcohol
61 (entry 11, Table 4) and the protected amino acid 62 (entry
12, Table 4). A consistent observation recorded during this
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A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
Scheme 4. Chemoselective Oxidation Adjacent to an Aldehyde in
the Presence of a Ketonea
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (1.3 equiv), DMSO, 70 °C, 15 h,
79%.
investigation was that R-aryl ketones required a modest elevation
of temperature to effect dehydrogenation (entries 2, 3, and 5-7,
Table 4). This is necessary despite the tendency of such
compounds to generally show an enhancement in the proportion
existing as the enol tautomer when compared to similar aliphatic
ketones under the same conditions;25 it is surmised that in
addition to steric hindrance the relative electron deficiency of
the enol form raises the oxidation potential and thus contributes
to the observed recalcitrance.
Because IBX could act as a mild acid in this reaction, we
probed the effect of adding a base or an acid. Addition of
p-TsOH (0.3 equiv)26 tended to significantly accelerate the
reaction (entry 3, Table 4), while addition of pyridine (1.0 equiv)
decreased the rate of the reaction (entry 12, Table 2), yet did
not effect the isolated yield after extended reaction times. This
feature should allow even acid-labile carbonyl compounds and
alcohols to enter smoothly into this process of unsaturation. The
acceleration in rate seen upon inclusion of p-TsOH as an additive
may be due to an increase in the population of the enol form of
the carbonyl group (vide infra), or the p-TsOH may act as an
activating ligand on IBX.27 Because aldehydes enolize more
readily than ketones and are less sterically encumbered, we
expected the former to be dehydrogenated faster than the latter
with IBX. Indeed, when keto aldehyde 74 (Scheme 4) was
treated with IBX (1.3 equiv), the reaction proceeded to yield
exclusively the R,â-unsaturated aldehyde 75 in high yield (79%)
providing an indication of the degree to which selectivity can
be expected when IBX is used.
Although an ionic mechanism was originally envisaged (see
Figure 3A) for this IBX-mediated oxidation, the cumulative
results of mechanistic investigations of other IBX-based reac-
tions14 at elevated temperatures led us to develop the hypothesis
that the current process is more likely to proceed via a SET-
based pathway as shown in Figure 3B. To gather empirical
verification of our SET hypothesis, we sought evidence for the
intermediacy of a radical species by using the well-established
fragmentation of cyclopropylmethyl radicals.28 The radical
species proposed as an intermediate in the IBX oxidation is
stabilized by resonance, and, therefore, the substrate used to
test for its existence ought to be loaded with a diphenyl moiety
to ensure that the equilibrium would lie at a position strongly
favoring the open-chain adduct.29 Additionally, it has been
shown that the rate constant for the opening of 2,2-diphenyl-
cyclopropylmethyl radicals is significantly larger than that of
the unsubstituted cyclopropylmethyl radical,29 thus permitting
a much more unequivocal assessment of the presence or absence
of a radical, when its fragmentation is used as a mechanistic
Figure 3. Possible ionic- (A) and SET-based (B) mechanisms for the
dehydrogenation of carbonyl compounds by IBX. Alternatively IBX may
also be considered to effect the initial enolization of the carbonyl compound
to yield IV directly.
Scheme 5. Reaction of Cyclopropyl Aldehyde 81 with IBX Leads
to the Ring-Opened Dienal 82, Thus Supporting the Intermediacy
of Radical Species (i.e., VI)a
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) [2-(1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)ethyl]triphenylphos-
phonium bromide43 (2.0 equiv), t-BuOH (2.0 equiv), THF, 25 °C, 72 h,
43%; (b) Zn-Ag couple,44 CH2I2 (1.3 equiv), Et2O, reflux, 22 h, 78%; (c)
AcOH:H2O 1:1, 25 °C, 12 h, 81%; (d) IBX (2.0 equiv), DMSO, 70 °C, 7
h, 98%.
probe. Thus, cyclopropyl aldehyde 81 was designed and syn-
thesized (see Scheme 5) and was exclusively converted, in 98%
yield, to conjugated diene 82 upon treatment with IBX in DMSO
at 70 °C for 7 h, as shown in Scheme 5. The opening of the
cyclopropyl ring was taken to provide strong support for a single
electron-transfer mechanism for this process; however, further
investigation was deemed desirable. Hammett analysis30 has a
(25) Gero, A. J. Org. Chem. 1954, 19, 469.
(26) Addition of one full equiv of p-TsOH acid has the opposite effect and
causes deceleration in the reaction rate.
(27) Zhdankin, V. V. FIV Report 2000, No. 3, 140.
(28) (a) Maillard, B.; Forrest, D.; Ingold, K. U. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1976, 98,
7024. (b) Mathew, L.; Warkentin, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1986, 108, 7981.
(29) Newcomb, M.; Johnson, C. C.; Beata Manek, M.; Varick, T. R. J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 10915.
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Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis 4
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 6. Synthesis of Substrates 85a-f and Determination of
Relative Reaction Rates for Derivation of a Hammet Relationship
and Plota
Figure 4. Plot derived using Hammett analysis of the competition reactions
of substituted R-aryl ketones (85b-f) with ketone (85a). The gradient (F)
) -0.75 and regression analysis give a value R2 ) 0.99.
this context, we have observed a number of stable IBX
complexes with oxygen-bearing ligands by 1H NMR spectros-
copy, and this has provided the basis for current ongoing re-
search. With this caveat in mind, the remaining data are strongly
suggestive of a SET pathway. The magnitude of F is small,
indicating only a slight dependence in this reaction on the
polarizing influence of the aromatic substituents appended to
the R carbon. This is consistent with a transition state bearing
a radical cation and not a true oxonium ion at the center R to
the carbonyl. The negative sign of F leads to the inference that
the transition state is electron deficient when compared to the
ground state which again is in accord with the proposed radical
cation species. Generally, most radical reactions thoroughly
investigated involve species that are regarded as being essentially
neutral, and, therefore, there is no acceleration in rate when
solvent polarity is increased. Radical cations are different
because of the evolution from radical cation to true oxonium
ion during the course of the reaction. Newcomb and Horner34
have shown a large kinetic acceleration associated with increased
solvent polarity for radical cation cyclizations which fits
favorably with the use of DMSO as solvent in our protocol for
the dehydrogenation of carbonyl compounds. Fluorobenzene was
used in the original protocol to ensure that hydrophobic
substrates were fully dissolved in the reaction media; however,
it was subsequently found that addition of fluorobenzene caused
a deceleration in the rate of reaction. The fluorobenzene content
of the solvent mixture should, therefore, be minimized.
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) Pd(OAc)2 (1 mol %), toluene, 80 °C, 10
h, (85a, 88%), (85b, 92%), (85c, 93%); (b) Pd(OAc)2 (1 mol %), PCy3 (2
mol %), toluene, 80 °C, 6 h, (85d, 87%), (85e, 72%), (85f, 79%); (c) IBX
(2.5 equiv), p-TsOH (0.3 equiv), DMSO, 85 °C, 22 h.
venerable history as a means of elucidating the development
and distribution of charge in the transition state of a given
reaction, so it was to this method that we next turned. An array
of R-aryl ketones (85a-f) with different p-substituents were
synthesized using chemistry developed by Buchwald et al.31 and
Hartwig and Kawatsura32 as depicted in Scheme 6. By compar-
ing the relative rates of the reaction of substituted aryl ketones
(85b-f) with the unsubstituted ketone (85a), a Hammett free
energy relationship was derived and plotted as shown in Figure
4. A linear correlation between the ratio of reaction rate
constants (ks/ku) and the σp+ parameters33a,b with a negative slope
(F ) -0.75, R2 ) 0.99) was obtained, provided the data obtained
from the methoxy-substituted ketone 85c were regarded as an
anomaly. It is our contention that the methoxy-substituted ketone
85c coordinates at the iodine center via the lone pair of electrons
on the ethereal oxygen thus distorting the reaction progress and
leading to a unique set of kinetic data for this compound. In
2. Selective Oxidation at Carbon Adjacent to Aromatic
Systems with IBX. Assuming that the IBX-mediated oxidation
of carbonyl compounds proceeded through a SET from the
(32) Hartwig, J. F.; Kawatsura, M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 1473.
+
(33) (a) For σp values, see: Gardner Swain, C.; Lupton, E. C. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 1968, 90, 4328 and references therein. (b) ku: Rate constant of reaction
85a f 86a; ks: Rate constants for reactions 85b-f f 86b-f. For the
determination of F the following expression28 was used: ks/ku ) log[1 -
sr/st]/log[1 - ur/ut]. F ) reaction constant; ur and sr ) millimoles of R-aryl
ketone 85a and p-substituted R-aryl ketone 85b-f, respectively, that reacted,
or by analogy, millimoles of products 86a and 86b-f formed; ut and st )
initial millimoles of R-aryl ketone 85a and p-substituted R-aryl ketone 85b-
f, respectively. (c) ku: Rate constant of reaction 90 f 102, ks: Rate
constants for reactions 90a-d, 91, and 94 f 102a-d, 103, and 106. For
the determination of F the following expression28 was used: ks/ku ) log[1
- sr/st]/log[1 - ur/ut]. F ) reaction constant; ur and sr ) millimoles of
toluene 90 and p-substituted toluenes 90a-d, 91, and 94, respectively, that
reacted, or by analogy, millimoles of products 102a-d, 103, and 106
formed; ut and st ) initial millimoles of toluene 90 and p-substituted
toluenes 90a-d, 91, and 94, respectively.
(30) For discussion of Hammett plots, see: Lowry, T. H.; Richardson, S. K.
Mechanism and Theory in Organic Chemistry, 3rd ed.; Harper & Row:
New York, 1987; p 748.
(31) Fox, J. M.; Huang, X.; Chieffi, A.; Buchwald, S. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2000, 122, 1360.
(34) Newcomb, M.; Horner, J. H. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 4364.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 124, NO. 10, 2002 2251

A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
Figure 6. Concerted mechanism for the IBX-mediated benzylic oxidation.
SET, but also for the ensuing oxygen transfer which could occur
via intramolecular delivery and expulsion of IBA using the oxide
ligand of IBX as a nucleophile (vide supra). Of course, a second
molecule of IBX is then required for the oxidation of benzyl
alcohol (88) to benzaldehyde (89).
With a mechanistic rationale in hand, we set out to determine
the feasibility of the proposed reaction. To our delight, the
oxidation of a variety of substituted toluenes and related systems
proceeded in good to excellent yield as shown in Table 5 (entries
1-7). In general, the reaction was clean and efficient, proceed-
ing in fluorobenzene:DMSO (2:1) or DMSO alone, at 80-90
°C. Overoxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid, a
common feature of transition metal-based benzylic oxidants, was
not observed even in electron-rich substrates (e.g., entry 7, Table
5). The presence of halogens (entries 5 and 6, Table 5) did not
deter the desired oxidation from occurring, nor did the steric
hindrance of o-substituents (entries 4, 9, and 11, Table 5). The
reaction was not limited to production of benzylic aldehydes
as seen in several examples which gave benzylic ketones; thus,
n-butylbenzene 96 smoothly enters into the reaction to furnish
n-butyrophenone 108 (entry 8, Table 5), and similarly tetrahy-
dronaphthalene derivatives 97 and 101 could be readily oxidized
(entries 9 and 13, Table 5). Because selective mono-oxidation
of aromatic rings with more than one alkyl group appended is
often a challenge, we were eager to employ the IBX reaction
as a possible solution to this problem. Thus, the expected
retardation of the reaction by electron-withdrawing substituents
(vide infra) was exploited to bring about the selective oxidation
of 1,2-xylenes (99 and 100) and tetrahydronaphthalenes (97 and
101) leading to the corresponding monocarbonyl systems (entries
9, 11, 12, and 13, Table 5).
It should be emphasized that whereas the presence of olefins,
N-heterocycles, amides, and aldehydes would ordinarily interfere
with benzylic oxidations mediated by conventional reagents, the
present IBX-based method performs admirably in such circum-
stances as shown in Table 6. Thus, oxidation of the unsaturated
substituted toluenes 115 and 116 (entries 1 and 2, Table 6) with
IBX proceeded smoothly in direct contrast to the use of DDQ,
PDC, or ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN), all of which led to
low conversion or decomposition. It was also interesting to
observe the stepwise oxidation of substrate 117. At 65 °C (2.5
equiv of IBX) the product obtained was the R,â-unsaturated
aldehyde 122 (72% yield), while under more forcing conditions
(4.0 equiv of IBX, 85 °C) the bis-aldehyde 123 was isolated in
Figure 5. Postulated mechanistic pathways for benzylic oxidation using
IBX.
electron-rich enol tautomer, it was reasoned that the same
principle may be applicable to the oxidation of other electron-
rich sites, such as the benzylic position of an aromatic ring.
The postulated mechanistic underpinnings of such an IBX-
mediated process are shown in Figure 5. Thus, SET from the
aromatic ring of compound 87 to IBX followed by loss of a
proton would lead to the radical intermediate VIIa. Depiction
of the canonical form of this species VIIb illustrates how this
could then undergo a second, IBX-facilitated oxidation to give
the benzylic carbocation VIII. At this juncture, three divergent
paths from intermediate VIII are conceivable, each using a
different source of oxygen for construction of the carbonyl
functionality. In path A (Figure 5), the trace amounts of water
present would intercept intermediate VIII to furnish the benzylic
alcohol 88 which would be rapidly oxidized with an additional
equivalent of IBX to afford the product, aldehyde 89. Path B
involves the trapping of intermediate VIII with a second
molecule of IBX to give intermediate IX whose rearrangement
would then lead to aldehyde 89. This pathway is statistically
improbable since it requires the interaction of a reactive
intermediate which has only a short lifetime, with a second
molecule of IBX. In path C, capture of the intermediate VIII
would occur by the solvent, DMSO (which is necessary to
solubilize IBX), forming the Kornblum-type intermediate X
which would then collapse to yield the product (89) upon loss
of a proton. It is, however, tempting to consider another
mechanism for the IBX-mediated oxidation of benzylic positions
based on literature precedent for aryl π-iodine complexes and
their role in single electron-transfer redox reactions35 (Figure
6). Thus, we invoked the possibility that IBX may form a similar
charge-transfer complex (XI, Figure 6) which could then lead
to the benzyl alcohol (88) via intermediate species XII-XV.
This requires that IBX is not only responsible for the initial
(35) Lehmann, F.; Pedro, A. J. Med. Chem. 1972, 15, 404.
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Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis 4
A R T I C L E S
Table 5. Oxidation at Benzylic Carbon Centers with IBXa
Table 6. IBX-Induced Oxidation of Benzylic Positions in
Functionalized Substratesa
a Reactions were carried out on a 0.1-1.0 mmol scale in DMSO or
DMSO:fluorobenzene 1:2. bIsolated yield of chromatographically pure
compound.
Scheme 7. Competition Experiments Revealing that Alcohol
Oxidation and Subsequent Carbonyl Dehydrogenation with IBX
Are Significantly Faster Processes than Benzylic Oxidationa
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (2.5 equiv), DMSO or DMSO:
fluorobenzene 1:2, 65 °C, 3 h, 78%.
a Reactions were carried out on a 0.1-1.0 mmol scale in DMSO or
DMSO:fluorobenzene 1:2. bIsolated yield of chromatographically pure
compound.
While a slightly longer reaction time or higher temperature
was necessary to effect the oxidation of N-containing aromatic
systems, it is noteworthy that no N-oxidation was observed
in such cases (118 to 124 and 119 to 125; entries 5 and 6,
Table 6).
On the basis of mechanistic insights gained during our studies
with the IBX-mediated N-cyclization of unsaturated anilides,14
we predicted it was likely that we would be able to perform a
benzylic oxidation in the presence of a cyclization-prone amide,
and more crucially, vice versa, by simply altering the solvent
62% yield (entries 3 and 4, Table 6). The finding that the
dehydrogenation of carbonyl compounds can be performed
selectively over benzylic oxidation was also confirmed by the
intermolecular competition experiment in which cyclodecanol
(126) and p-tert-butyltoluene (91) were allowed to react with
IBX (2.5 equiv, 65 °C, fluorobenzene:DMSO 2:1). The sole
product isolated was cis-2-cyclodecen-1-one (26, 78% yield)
with no aromatic aldehyde detected (Scheme 7).
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 124, NO. 10, 2002 2253

A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
Scheme 8. Highly Selective IBX-Mediated Oxidation/Cyclization of
Substrates 127 and 128a
attributed to the inability of the initial product, an electron-
deficient aldehyde, to submit to further oxidation. However, the
failure of 2,4,6-trimethoxytoluene (134, Scheme 9) to yield the
corresponding aldehyde (starting material recovered) illustrates
the requirement of a free o-position for this benzylic oxi-
dation, just as is the case for the IBX-mediated N-cycliza-
tion.14 We note that substrates containing ethereal oxygen
functionality react more slowly than expected. We speculate
that this is related to coordination of the substrate to IBX (or
IBA) via this functionality which may undermine the desired
reaction course.
Armed with key information regarding the scope of this
methodology, we then turned our attention to more complex
substrates in which more than one aromatic position could
potentially be oxidized. The bis-methyl-substituted pyridyl
oxazoles 135-13736 (Scheme 10) were chosen as examples for
their resistance to oxidation at either methyl group with a variety
of known oxidants.36 In the event, compounds 135-137 could
be oxidized at 110 °C by employing 8 equiv of IBX in DMSO
to furnish aldehydes 138-140 in 75-78% isolated yields and
with ca. 20% starting material being recovered. HMQC and
HMBC NMR experiments confirmed that the position of
oxidation was the oxazole-bearing methyl group and not the
benzylic methyl group in all cases. When trimethyl oxazole (141,
Scheme 10) was submitted to the same conditions, the corre-
sponding aldehyde was not detected; application of more forcing
conditions led only to traces of aldehyde, accompanied by
several unidentified products. These intriguing results led to the
proposal of the mechanistic rationale presented in Scheme 10,
which seemingly contradicts the observations (vide supra) that
a free o-position is required for oxidation. Specifically, it is
postulated that the phenyl moiety of 2-methyl-3-tolyl-5-pyridyl
oxazoles such as 137 initiates the reaction by transferring an
electron to IBX, leading to the radical cation XVIa which can
also be depicted by its resonance structure XVIb. Loss of a
proton from XVIb would then lead to XVIIa which, in turn,
may proceed to form 2-formyl-3-tolyl-5-pyridyl oxazole 140
via the mechanism already delineated in Figure 5 (vide supra).
The radical species XVII reacts exclusively at the oxazole
methylene position as opposed to the phenyl methyl position.
This can be explained as being a result of the proposed minor
contribution made by the resonance form XVIIa to the actual
structure of XVII, a feature that would result from the greater
aromatic stabilization of a phenyl moiety when compared to
the oxazole heterocycle. Further support for this postulated
mechanism comes from the reluctance of the electron-deficient
(low oxidation potential) trimethyl oxazole 141 (Scheme 10)
to enter into the IBX-mediated benzylic oxidation when treated
under similar conditions.
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (3.0 equiv), DMSO, 90 °C, 24 h,
75%; (b) IBX (3.0 equiv), DMSO, 85 °C, 12 h, 60%; (c) IBX (4.0 equiv,
added in two portions at 0 and 4 h), THF:DMSO 10:1, 85 °C, 8 h, 89%.
Scheme 9. Failure of Substrates 132-134 To Enter the
IBX-Based Benzylic Oxidationa
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (10.0 equiv), DMSO, 100 °C, 12 h,
most starting material recovered.
employed. To our delight this was indeed the case, as demon-
strated in Scheme 8. Thus, it proved possible to selectively
oxidize substrates 127 and 128 to the corresponding aldehydes
129, 75% and 130, 60% in the presence of IBX when DMSO
was employed as solvent. Remarkably, the reaction of urethane
128 could be deviated from this pathway to afford the cyclized
oxazolidinone (131, 89%) simply by switching from DMSO
(or fluorobenzene:DMSO 2:1) to THF:DMSO (10:1) as solvent.
The present reaction can clearly be considered as a SET-
based process if analogy is drawn to the SET mediated
N-cyclization reaction (vide infra). Accordingly and as expected,
aromatic systems with higher oxidation potentials (electron-
donating substituents) were generally found to be oxidized faster
than those with lower oxidation potentials (electron-withdrawing
substituents). Herein lies an explanation for the failure of the
substituted toluenes 132 and 133 (Scheme 9) to enter into the
benzylic oxidation reaction. The clean mono-oxidation of
xylenes 99 and 100 (entries 11 and 12, Table 5) can also be
These results coupled with mechanistic considerations led us
to speculate on the possible IBX-mediated oxidation product
of 5,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen (trioxsalen) (142, Scheme 11). All
intelligence gathered thus far and mechanistic evaluation
summarized and shown in Scheme 11B pointed to the oxidation
affording furanaldehyde 143 (Scheme 11A) as the most logical
regioisomer. Indeed, treatment of 142 with IBX (5.0 equiv) at
120 °C for 24 h in DMSO led to 143 (50% yield) as the sole
aldehyde produced.
(36) Finney, N.; Fang, A. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, San Diego, unpublished results. Professor Finney is gratefully
acknowledged for generous samples of oxazoles 135-137.
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Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis 4
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 10. Selective Oxidation of 2-Methyl-3-tolyl-5-pyridyl
Oxazoles to 5-Formyl-3-tolyl-5-pyridyl Oxazoles and Postulated
Mechanistic Rationale (Mechanism Supported by Failure of
Trimethyl Oxazole To Be Oxidized with IBX under Similar
Conditions)a
Scheme 11. Chemoselective Oxidation of Trioxsalen (142) to
Furanaldehyde 143 Using IBX and Mechanistic Rationalea
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (5.0 equiv), DMSO, 120 °C, 24 h,
50%.
Scheme 12. Competition Experiments of Toluene with Substituted
Toluenes To Derive a Hammett Plot for the IBX-Mediated Benzylic
Oxidationa
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (8.0 equiv, added in four portions
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (4.0 equiv), DMSO, 85 °C, 22 h.
at t ) 0, 3, 6, and 12 h), DMSO, 110 °C, 24 h, 78%; (b) IBX (8.0 equiv,
added in four portions at t ) 0, 3, 6, and 12 h), DMSO, 110 °C, 24 h, 75%;
(c) IBX (8.0 equiv, added in four portions at t ) 0, 3, 6, and 12 h), DMSO,
110 °C, 24 h, 78%.
attempts, methyl anisole, interestingly and once again, gave
anomalous data which did not fit into this linear correlation,
reinforcing the conclusion drawn earlier from when the carbonyl
dehydrogenation reaction was examined using this analysis
method (vide supra).
To obtain additional experimental support for the SET-based
mechanism proposed for this oxidation (Figures 5 and 6), we
ran a series of competition experiments utilizing substituted
toluenes 90a-d, 91, and 94 versus toluene 90, as shown in
Scheme 12. A Hammett plot drawn from these results (Figure
7) showed a linear correlation, with negative slope, between
the ratio of reaction rate constants (ks/ku) and the σp+ parameters
(F ) -0.91, R2 ) 0.97).33a,c This is consistent with SET from
the substrate to IBX in the rate-determining step. The mag-
nitude of F falls into a region suggestive of a radical-type
intermediate since it reveals a relatively small dependence on
the polarizing ability of substituents in this step of the trans-
formation. Furthermore, the transition state has lower electron
density than the ground state, as evidenced by the negative
gradient. This validates the supposition that a radical cation is
formed in the initial step (see Figure 5). Despite repeated
When p-cresol (144, Scheme 13) was employed in the IBX
reaction, we observed a rapid color change. After only a few
minutes at room temperature, the dark reaction mixture was
composed primarily of polymeric material and a small amount
of the bis-phenol 146 as the only identifiable product. Because
the reaction was rapid at room temperature, we propose the ionic
mechanism shown in Scheme 13 to account for this interesting
product and to explain the polymeric material formed, by virtue
of the ready polymerization that would be expected from a
reactive diene such as 145, presumably formed via XIX and
XX. The regiochemistry of the product 146 is strongly sugges-
tive of an intramolecular delivery of an oxygen nucleophile,
see XIX (vide infra). The similarly complex mixtures obtained
9
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A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
Figure 7. Plot derived using Hammett analysis of the competition reactions
of substituted toluenes (90a-d, 91) and 94 with toluene (90). The gradient
(F) ) 0.91 and regression analysis give a value R2 ) 0.97.
Figure 8. Effect of IBX concentration on conversion of methyl anisole
(90d) to anisaldehyde as measured by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Reagents
and conditions: IBX (2.0 equiv), 80 °C, 2 h.
Scheme 13. Isolation of bis-Phenol 146 from p-Cresol (144) upon
Treatment with IBX and Mechanistic Rationalea
to product was unaffected. In the cases where the dried DMSO
was employed at standard concentrations used for this reaction
(which translate to a 1-5 mol % water content with respect to
the oxidation substrate), conversion to the ketone or aldehyde
was still routinely seen to be in excess of 70%. This result
indicates that water is not the source of the oxygen atom in the
final product of IBX-mediated benzylic oxidation. An isotope
labeling study using H218O was considered as a further means
of tracing the carbonyl oxygen in the oxidized products; ulti-
mately, however, this study was considered to offer little hope
of a conclusive answer and was, therefore, not pursued.40 Our
results to date cannot unequivocally determine the source of
oxygen in the IBX-mediated oxidation of benzylic positions;
however, it is hoped that detailed kinetic studies might allow
for differentiation between the postulated pathways for this
process (Figures 5 and 6). These new investigations are expected
to form the basis of further reaction designs and are currently
being pursued. Whatever the detailed profiling uncovers, it can
be confidently stated that IBX shows a unique and multifaceted
reactivity profile that, until now, has been underappreciated.
3. Chemoselective and Controllable IBX-Mediated Cy-
clizations and Oxidations. The potential utility of IBX-
mediated benzylic oxidation and carbonyl dehydrogenation
reactions occurring in tandem has not escaped our attention.
Thus, we synthesized chromane 147 (Scheme 14) and exposed
it to IBX (4.0 equiv) in DMSO at 80 °C leading to the isolation
of the flavanoid 148 in 68% yield as the product of a double
oxidation.
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (1.0 equiv), DMSO, 25 °C, 17%.
in the IBX-mediated reactions of anilines37 may also be due to
such a degradation pathway.
In a separate study we found that the concentration of IBX
employed had an important effect upon the oxidation of aromatic
systems. To achieve maximum conversion, for example, of
methyl anisole (90d) to anisaldehyde (102d), an optimum
concentration of ca. 1.25 M in IBX was employed (see Figure
8). If the concentration of IBX was too low, competitive
reduction of IBX to IBA by DMSO (present in large excess)
leads to a lower yield, while higher concentrations resulted in
solubility problems. During the reaction course, a heavy white
precipitate forms which is not soluble in DMSO. This material
is primarily composed mainly of IBA, but may also draw some
IBX out of solution by trapping it in a complex secondary
bonding network, thus having a deleterious effect on the reaction
rate.38
At this juncture it was critical to demonstrate that IBX is not
only a versatile oxidant, capable of a variety of transformations,
but also a highly chemoselective reagent. Thus, we designed
and synthesized compound 149 (Scheme 15) as a flexible
substrate for entering into IBX-mediated N-cyclization, alcohol
To aid elucidation of the source of the oxygen atom in the
oxidized products, we carried out the reaction with varying
amounts of water. Interestingly, the reaction was faster when
anhydrous DMSO (dried according to the literature39 and
verified as containing <250 ppm of water by titration) was
employed. The addition of varying amounts of water decelerated
the reaction, but after extended reaction times the conversion
(40) The following factors persuaded us not to pursue an O18 labeling study:
the propensity of a carbonyl bearing species to enrich or deplete an 18O
label via hydrate formation under mildly acidic or basic conditions,41 the
dynamic equilibrium that exists with IBX and free unbound water, and the
demanding set of criteria required to obtain a molecular ion that could be
readily observed in a crude reaction mixture by ESI mass spectrometry
(no technique involving a matrix could be used due to catalysis of the
hydrate formation reaction in an aqueous environment).
(41) Cohn, M.; Urey, H. C. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1938, 60, 679.
(42) See refs 3, 14, 15, and 17 in addition to (a) Nicolaou, K. C.; Baran, P. S.;
Zhong, Y.-L.; Vega, J. A. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2000, 39, 2525. (b)
Nicolaou, K. C.; Baran, P. S.; Zhong, Y.-L. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2000,
39, 625.
(43) Denis, J. M.; Girard, C.; Conia, J. M. Synthesis 1972, 549.
(44) Michel, P.; Rassat, A. J. Org. Chem. 2000, 65, 8908.
(37) Crich, D.; Mo, X.-S. Synlett 1999, 67.
(38) Macikenas, D.; Skrzypczak-Jankun, E.; Protasiewicz, J. D. Angew. Chem.,
Int. Ed. 2000, 39, 2007.
(39) Burfield, D. R.; Smithers, R. H. J. Org. Chem. 1978, 43, 3966.
9
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Iodine(V) Reagents in Organic Synthesis 4
A R T I C L E S
Scheme 14. IBX-Mediated Synthesis of Flavone 148 from
Chromane 147a
patterns, and we are, therefore, pursuing further experiments to
clarify the situation.
Conclusion
In this series of papers,1-3 we describe significant extension
of the utility of iodine(V) reagents (see Figure 1) far beyond
the realm of alcohol oxidations. Within the present paper, we
presented a full account of a new and general synthetic reaction
for the oxidation of a range of alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes
to the corresponding R,â-unsaturated systems and under mild
conditions in one pot employing the cheap, nontoxic, and readily
available reagent IBX. Adjusting the stoichiometry of IBX,
temperature, and time scale of the reaction, the process can
readily be programmed to provide varying degrees of unsat-
uration. In many instances, this frequently encountered objective
is accomplished where other established methods fail to perform
well. As such, these IBX-based technologies are expected to
find widespread applications in organic synthesis. Furthermore,
the mild conditions employed allow cascade reaction sequences
leading to a rapid increase in molecular complexity by simple
one-pot operations. On the basis of the presumption that IBX
acts as a SET-based oxidant, we also developed a selective
oxidation reaction of benzylic and other similarly activated
positions and demonstrated its scope, generality, and usefulness
in organic synthesis. Both of these transformations fit well as
chemospecific tools within the diverse family of IBX-mediated
reactions recently reported from these laboratories.14,15,17 Con-
sequently, in multiply functionalized substrates, one can or-
chestrate, with confidence, the desired oxidation pathway by
merely choosing the proper conditions for the reaction. Detailed
mechanistic studies of these reactions have shown that they are
SET-based processes and have led to some remarkable insights
into the underexplored iodine(V) manifold. The isolation of
novel byproducts during the course of these studies points to
future expansions of the repertoire of transformations that can
be accessed using such iodine(V)-based reagents.
a
Reagents and conditions: (a) IBX (4.0 equiv), DMSO, 80 °C, 22 h,
68%.
Scheme 15. Selective Chemical Transformations with IBXa
Most importantly, and once again, the fact that a serendipitous
observation made in the course of the synthesis of the CP-
molecules opened the gates to this underexplored field of
chemistry emphasizes the importance of total synthesis as a
catalyst for the development of powerful new reactions and
synthetic technologies.
a
Conditions A: IBX (2.2 equiv), THF:DMSO (10:1), 85 °C, 8 h.
Conditions B: IBX (2.0 equiv), TsOH (0.2 equiv), DMSO, 65 °C, 5 h.
Conditions C: IBX (3.0 equiv), DMSO, 90 °C, 2 h.
oxidation/carbonyl dehydrogenation, and benzylic oxidation.
Using only three standard sets of conditions, substrate 149 could
be easily converted into any of the compounds 150-155 (shown
in Scheme 15) as desired. Thus, treatment of 149 with 2.0 equiv
of IBX at 65 °C in fluorobenzene:DMSO (2:1) in the presence
of catalytic amounts of p-TsOH (conditions B, Scheme 15) led
to R,â-unsaturated aldehyde 151 in 85% isolated yield. Further
oxidation of 151 with 3.0 equiv of IBX in DMSO at 90 °C
(conditions C) furnished fully oxidized product 152 in 76%
yield. Compounds 149-152 could be converted to 153-155
simply by employing an IBX and THF:DMSO (10:1) mixture
as the solvent system (conditions A). Alternatively, 155 could
also be cleanly converted by conditions B to 153, which, in
turn, was smoothly transformed to 154 by conditions C. This
series of reactions ably illustrates the ease with which IBX-
mediated oxidations can be manipulated to furnish a diverse
spectrum of highly functionalized products. We strongly suspect
that the ability of certain solvents to form discrete complexes
with IBX may be responsible for these rather dramatic reactivity
Experimental Section
General Procedure for Dehydrogenation r,â to a Carbonyl
Function. This procedure represents an updated version15 and includes
many optimizations that significantly enhance reproducibility of this
reaction in more complex substrates. To a solution of alcohol (or
carbonyl compound) in DMSO:fluorobenzene (the ratio should be
substrate dependent with the fluorobenzene content being minimized
so that the substrate is soluble but the rate of reaction is reduced as
little as possible, 0.3 M with respect to IBX) was added IBX (1.5 equiv
per alcohol or C-C bond to be oxidized; the use of large excesses of
IBX is not recommended since the IBA formed on decomposition of
IBX by its oxidation of DMSO retards the reaction rate). The solution
was heated to 55-85 °C, and the reaction was monitored by TLC (thin-
layer chromatography) until complete consumption of starting material
was observed. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature
and diluted with Et2O. The organic layer was washed with 5% NaHCO3
(3×), H2O (1×), and dried (MgSO4), followed by removal of solvent
in vacuo, leading to crude compounds which could be purified using
flash column chromatography (silica gel).
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 124, NO. 10, 2002 2257

A R T I C L E S
Nicolaou et al.
General Procedure for Benzylic Oxidation. This procedure
represents an updated version17 and includes many optimizations that
significantly enhance reproducibility of this reaction in more com-
plex substrates. To a solution of oxidation substrate (1.0 mmol) in
DMSO:fluorobenzene (the ratio should be substrate dependent with
the fluorobenzene content being minimized so that the substrate is
soluble but the rate of reaction is reduced as little as possible, 1.25
M with respect to IBX) was added IBX (3.0 mmol), and the mix-
ture was typically heated to 85-95 °C. The reaction was moni-
tored by TLC (thin-layer chromatography) until complete consump-
tion of starting material was observed. The reaction mixture was cooled
to room temperature and diluted with Et2O. The organic layer was
washed with 5% NaHCO3 (3×), H2O (1×), and dried (MgSO4),
followed by removal of solvent in vacuo, leading to crude com-
pounds which could be purified using flash column chromatography
(silica gel).
Acknowledgment. We thank Drs. D. H. Huang and G.
Siuzdak for NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric as-
sistance, respectively. This work was financially supported by
the National Institutes of Health (U.S.), The Skaggs Institute
for Chemical Biology, postdoctoral fellowships from Glaxo (to
T.M.), the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (to H.-
S.C.), a predoctoral fellowship from the National Science
Foundation (to P.S.B.) and Boehringer Ingelheim (to Y.H.), and
grants from Pfizer, Merck, Schering Plough, Hoffmann-La
Roche, DuPont, and Abbott.
Supporting Information Available: Experimental procedures
and compound characterization (PDF). This material is available
free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
JA012127+
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2258 J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 124, NO. 10, 2002