An unusual chemoselective oxidation strategy by an unprecedented exploration of an electrophilic center of DMSO: a new facet to classical DMSO oxidation

A conceptually new dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) based oxidation process without the use of any activator has been demonstrated for the oxidation of active methylenes and benzhydrols. The developed protocol utilizes the electrophilic center of DMSO for oxidation, which was unexplored before. Mechanistic investigation has confirmed that the source of oxygen is DMSO.