A mechanistic model for the selective oxidation of 1,4-diols to γ-lactols by o-iodoxybenzoic acid

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(95)01663-3

The selective oxidation of 1,4-diols to γ-lactols by o-iodoxybenzoic acid occurs by a rate-limiting carbonyl-forming elimination pathway in which the carbinol proton is abstracted internally via a six-atom cyclic arrangement, which explains the observed selectivity.