Oxidatively Assisted Nucleophilic Substitution/Elimination of Alkyl Iodides in Alcoholic Media. A Further Study

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00349a016

Oxidation of a series of alkyl halides with alcoholic 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid afforded the results outlined in Charts I-III and Tables I-III.The reaction was found to be a powerful and convenient method for effecting nucleophilic substitution in a variety of systems, including the highly inert 1- and 7-bicyclo<2.2.1>heptyl systems.Qualitatively, the number of molar equivalents of oxidant required varied inversely with the expected ease of substitution for a given system.A mechanism is suggested whereby the iodide is oxidized stepwise to a species RIO_n in which n is an integer sufficiently large that the system in question will undergo nucleophilic substitution or elimination.Reaction in the presence of added chloride or bromide ion usually resulted in a facilitation of reaction rate and a decrease in the number of molar equivalents of oxidant required; the principal product under these conditions was usually the corresponding chloride or bromide.