Iminium salt-catalysed asymmetric epoxidation using hydrogen peroxide as stoichiometric oxidant

Iminium salt organocatalysts can provide high selectivity and high efficiency in catalytic asymmetric epoxidation. They are normally used in conjunction with Oxone as the stoichiometric oxidant. Oxone, however, has limited stability and is insoluble in most organic solvents; we report here for the first time the development of a reaction system driven by hydrogen peroxide as the stoichiometric oxidant, involving an unusual double catalytic cycle.