5,5′-Dimethyl-3,3′-azoisoxazole as a new heterogeneous azo reagent for esterification of phenols and selective esterification of benzylic alcohols under Mitsunobu conditions
3′-azoisoxazole is used as a new efficient heterogeneous azo reagent for the highly selective esterification of primary and secondary benzylic alcohols and phenols with aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids via Mitsunobu protocols. The reaction is highly selective for primary benzylic alcohols versus secondary ones, aliphatic alcohols and also phenols. The isoxazole hydrazine byproduct can be simply isolated
Heterocyclic azo compounds, prepared from corresponding amines in one step, are used as effective oxidants for the conversion of thiols into symmetrical disulfides in high yields. Among the studied azo compounds, 4,4-azopyridine was found to be very efficient for the odorless conversion of alkyl halides into disulfides in the presence of thiourea. An attractive feature of this azo compound is that its obtained solid side product hydrazine is easily separated by filtration and can be recycled to its azo compound for further use.