An Efficient and Practical Method for Olefin Dihydroxylation

An efficient and economic procedure was developed for the dihydroxylation of various olefin derivatives with commercial KMnO₄ as the oxidant in the presence of a quaternary ammonium salt. This practical procedure is suitable for large-scale production of cis-dihydroxy compounds, even those bearing primary and secondary alcohol groups, without overoxidation.