Swim believes that he has formed the Cis glycol of Isosafrole and asarone.
While thumbing through the merck he noticed rxn #232 Milas hydroxalation of olefins. This proscess employs H2O2 with Uv light as the catalyst. Metal oxides can be used alternativly. Without further research he added 4 ml of distilled isosafrole to 8 ml of 35% H2O2and placed this on a blacklight source. The same was done with asarone. After 24 hrs standing with a quick shake every 6 hrs, the top s of the tubes were opened . The smell of the iso safrole was now the smell of the glycol obtained from an unbuffered oxone run. the color was slightly yellow. the starting isosafrole was clear.
The asarone was darker and had a slightly different smell. but having no experience with asarone glycol no comparison can be made. I doubt these compounds are useful to 2ketone preperation via the traditional rearrangement techniques but could swim do anything with them. Would H2So4 LI oe BF3 afford any ketone. Even a 1 ketone would suffice since it could provide a pathway to the ALPHA analogs.
F.D Gunstone, Advan. Org. Chem.1, 115(1960)
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