Alternative Oxidising Agents

IBX has been widely touted as an oxidising agent for oxidising alcohols to carbonyl derivatives and has recently become commercially available in kg quantities from a French company.  Even when pure, however, IBX has a tendency to explode.  The IBX esters (esters of 2-iodoxybenzoic acid), however, are quite stable and have similar reactivity to IBX.  They are made by simple hypochlorite oxidation of o-iodobenzoic acid esters.

The work was carried out in the groups of Zhdankin at Univ of Minnesota, Deluth and Tykwinski at Univ of Alberta, Edmonton.  The esters are white non-explosive crystalline solids and are easily handled under standard lab conditions (C & E News, 7th April, 2003, pp 28-29).