Selective transition-metal-free vicinal -dihydroxylation of saturated hydrocarbons.

A transition-metal-free -dihydroxylation of saturated hydrocarbons under ambient reaction conditions has been developed. The described approach allows a direct and selective synthesis of vicinal diols. The new reaction thereby proceeds radical iodination and a sequence of oxidation steps. A broad scope of one-pot dual C(sp)-H bond functionalization for the selective synthesis of vicinal -diols was demonstrated.