Efficient ortho-Oxidation of Phenols with Diacyl Peroxides.

A stable symmetric diacyl peroxide, m-chlorobenzoyl peroxide (mCBPO), and an asymmetric diacyl peroxide, chloroacetyl m-chlorobenzoyl peroxide (CAMCBPO), were synthesized from m-chloroperbenzoic acid. Both peroxides oxidized phenols selectively at the ortho position predominantly. CAMCBPO gave para-oxidized compounds as minor products from some phenols. The improvement of the yield of ortho-oxidation of phenols with mCBPO was also reported.