Oxidation of olefins by manganese(III) acetate to give allylic acetates

Abstract

Olefins are oxidised by manganese(III) acetate in acetic acid at 70° to give allylic acetates in the presence of metal halide catalysts. With potassium bromide as catalyst, cyclohexene gives cyclohex-2-enyl acetate in 75% yield. The mechanism, generality, and synthetic value of the reaction are discussed.