Oxyfunctionalization of non-natural targets by dioxiranes. 6. On the selective hydroxylation of cubane

Org Lett. 2009 Aug 20;11(16):3574-7. doi: 10.1021/ol901302d.

Abstract

By using methyl(trifluoromethyl)dioxirane (TFDO), the direct mono- and bishydroxylation of cubane could be achieved in high yield under remarkably mild conditions. Comparison of the rates of dioxirane O-insertion with those of standard reference compounds, such as adamantane and cyclopropane, as well as ab initio computations provide useful hints concerning the mechanism of these transformations.