Uses of K2S2O8 in Metal-Catalyzed and Metal-Free Oxidative Transformations

Carbon carbon/carbon heteroatom bond formation via oxidative transformations is a heavily explored topic at the frontier of chemistry. Potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) has emerged as a cost-effective, suitable inorganic oxidant for a wide array of oxidative transformations, ranging from laboratory experiments to industrial processes. The current review provides a comprehensive coverage of oxidative transformations aided with K2S2O8 in the presence or absence of a transition-metal catalyst, critical assessment of the results, and underlying mechanisms. Organic chemists may find this review to be a useful guide for the expedient synthesis of new chemical entities, to formulate mechanistic manifolds involving the sulfate radical anion, or to design novel oxidative transformations. A detailed understanding of the unsolved mechanisms could further enrich the field.