Hypervalent iodine compounds are widespread, highly selective, safe and relatively inexpensive alternative to heavy metal reagents in organic syntheses. These are iodine compounds with higher oxidation states. We are routinely using organic iodine(III) and iodine(V) derivatives in synthesis as reagents for various selective oxidations of complex organic molecules. In my work I described the reactions and methods where halogenated organic compounds occur. The best known hypervalent iodine compound is 2-iodoxybenzoic acid (IBX), which we use for the selective oxidation of primary and also secondary alcohols.
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