Hydrogen atoms are borrowed during the in situ oxidation of the starting alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde and are subsequently returned in the hydrogenation of the alkene intermediate, which is formed by Wittig olefination of the aldehyde. This process permits an indirect Wittig reaction of alcohols without overall oxidation and offers an alternative to traditional methods that involve, for example, conversion of an alcohol into an alkyl halide.
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Edwards et al. (2002) studied this question.
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