Enantioselective oxidation of racemic secondary alcohols catalyzed by chiral Mn(iii)-salen complexes with N-bromosuccinimide as a powerful oxidant
We demonstrate an efficient enantioselective oxidation of secondary alcohols catalyzed by Mn(iii)-salen complex using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as the oxidant. The new protocol is very efficient for the oxidative kinetic resolution of a variety of secondary alcohols, including ortho-substituted benzylic alcohols. The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012.