Fe(III)‐Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of 1,4‐Diols†

Comprehensive Summary Aerobic oxidation has been catching more and more attention because of its atom economy and environmental friendliness. Oxidation of diols is a challenge due to various oxidative products. Thus, highly selective aerobic oxidation affording specific products is of current interest. In this work, a combination of Fe(NO 3 ) 3 · 9H 2 O/TEMPO/KCl catalysis has been identified as an efficient recipe for the aerobic oxidation of 1,4‐diols affording γ‐butyrolactones under mild conditions. The reaction exhibits decent chemo‐ and regioselectivity of symmetrical and unsymmetrical 1,4‐diols. The optically active γ‐lactones may also be prepared from optically active 1,4‐diols without erosion of the ee via this method. Furthermore, this approach was successfully applied to synthesize NBP, a commercial drug.