KOtBu/DMSO Catalytic System for Isomerization of Allylic Alcohols to Ketones

Abstract The isomerization of allylic alcohols is an important reaction because it can afford carbonyl compounds in an atom‐economical manner. Although base‐catalyzed methods are more desirable than those using transition‐metal catalysts from both the economic and environmental points of view, these methods have several drawbacks, such as narrow substrate scope and high catalyst loading. This paper reports the development of an efficient KO t Bu/DMSO catalytic system suitable for the isomerization of a broad range of allylic alcohols with good yields, to which previously reported systems could not be applied. This catalytic system was successfully applied to a tandem allylic isomerization/electrophilic trapping reaction, thereby highlighting its synthetic utility.