Vanadium(V)-mediated rearrangement/halogenation cascade: Synthesis of α-haloenones from propargyl alcohols
A method is described for the oxidative Meyer–Schuster-type rearrangement of propargylic alcohols to (Z)-α-chloro- and α-iodoenones using VOCl3 as a multifunctional reagent. The vanadium reagent is found to serve as rearrangement promoter as well as an active chlorenium ion donor. Yields are improved when VOCl3 is employed in conjunction with N-halosuccinimide reagents, giving some insights into the complex mechanism.