Iron-Catalyzed Ring Opening of Cyclopropanols and Their 1,6-Conjugate Addition to -Quinone Methides.

A novel iron-catalyzed ring opening of cyclopropanols and their 1,6-conjugate addition to -quinone methides for accessing substituted phenols is disclosed. In this protocol, various cyclopropanols are converted to alkyl radicals and undergo 1,6-conjugate addition to -quinone methides toward C-C bond formation. The salient features of this methodology include operationally simple and mild reaction conditions, environmentally benign protocol, high efficiency, inexpensive catalyst, good to excellent yield, and a wide range of substrate scope.