A NOVEL BASE-CATALYZED REARRANGEMENT OF p-PEROXYQUINOL ESTERS

Abstract
The p-peroxyquinol esters derived from the base-catalyzed oxygenation of 4-alkyl-2,6-di-t-butylphenols (alkyl=R1) followed by the Schotten–Baumann acylation (R2COCl) undergo a novel base-catalyzed rearrangement with t-BuOK in DMF to give p-quinoxyacetic acid derivatives in excellent yields. A mechanism involving the initiation by the homolysis of O–O bond is discussed.