A metal-free protocol for direct oxidative de-alkoxycarbonylation of alkyl phenyl acetate by molecular iodine

A metal-free protocol for the direct oxidative de-alkoxycarbonylation of alkyl phenyl acetate has been carried out by molecular iodine with good yield. In the present Letter, the vital role of iodine in oxidative de-alkoxycarbonylation is described. This method has been proven to be tolerant to a broad range of functional groups.