Oxidative rearrangements of arylalkanones with 1H-1-hydroxy-5-methyl-1,2,3-benziodoxathiole 3,3-dioxide, a ‘green’ analog of Koser’s reagent

Previous methods for the conversion of arylalkanones to alkyl 2-arylesters by oxidative rearrangement utilized reagents which either produced toxic metal salts or halogenated organics as by-products. In this report, 1H-1-hydroxy-5-methyl-1,2,3-benziodoxathiole 3,3-dioxide (HMBI) is used to effect this useful transformation, where the reduced iodine reagent is water-soluble and readily recycled.