Oxidative De‐aromatization of para‐Alkyl Phenols into para‐Peroxyquinols and para‐Quinols Mediated by Oxone as a Source of Singlet Oxygen

Easy does it: Easily handled and environmentally safe oxone generates singlet oxygen which effects the simple and selective oxidative de-aromatization of para-alkyl phenols 1 into para-peroxyquinols 2 under very mild conditions with good to excellent yields. A one-pot access to para-quinols 3 from 1 is also possible after treatment of the crude reaction mixture with sodium thiosulfate.