Hydrogen Peroxide and Arenediazonium Salts as Reagents for a Radical Beckmann-Type Rearrangement

The reductive ring-opening of hydroperoxides derived from cyclic ketones leads to alkyl radicals which can effectively be trapped by arenediazonium salts. This synthetic transformation yielding azo carboxylic acids or lactams, after a reductive step, can be classified as a radical version of the well-known Beckmann rearrangement. In this article, we present results on the scope, the limitations and possible applications of this new reaction type.