Deoxygenative Dimerization of Benzylic and Allylic Alcohols, and Their Ethers and Esters Using Lanthanum Metal and Chlorotrimethylsilane in the Presence of a Catalytic Amount of Iodine and Copper(I) Iodide

Benzylic and allylic alcohols were deoxygenatively dimerized by a treatment with lanthanum metal and chlorotrimethylsilane in the presence of a catalytic amount of iodine, giving the corresponding coupling products, alkanes, in moderate-to-good yields. This dimerization reaction was dramatically accelerated by the addition of a catalytic amount of copper(I) iodide. Similarly, ethers and esters were deoxygenatively dimerized by La/Me3SiCl/cat.I2/cat.CuI system in the presence of a catalytic amount of H2O.