C-H oxygenation at tertiary carbon centers using iodine oxidant.

An oxidation system in which iodic acid (HIO3) is used as an oxidant in the presence of N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) permitted the selective hydroxylation of tertiary C-H bonds and the lactonization of carboxylic acids containing a tertiary carbon center. These reactions are operationally simple and proceed under metal-free conditions using commercially available reagents, thus offering an ideal tool for the efficient oxidation of C-H bonds at tertiary carbon centers.