An Enantioconvergent Benzylic Hydroxylation Using a Chiral Aryl Iodide in a Dual Activation Mode

In this article we describe an enantioselective hydroxylation of benzylic C-H bonds with a unique activation mechanism. A chiral aryl iodide catalyst initially acts as precursor for a brominating reagent which subsequently brominates the benzylic C-H bond in a non-stereoselective fashion through a radical bromination. In the second step of this transofrmation, the same catalyst acts as a chiral ligand in a Cu-catalyzed enantioconvergent substitution. We present a broad substrate scope and an intial mechanistic proposal based on a plethora of control experiments.