Enantioselective oxidation of racemic secondary alcohols catalyzed by chiral Mn(III)-salen complexes with N-bromosuccinimide as a powerful oxidant

We demonstrate an efficient enantioselective oxidation of secondary alcohols catalyzed by Mn(III)-salen complex using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as the oxidant. The new protocol is very efficient for the oxidative kinetic resolution of a variety of secondary alcohols, including ortho-substituted benzylic alcohols.