Some studies of electrophilic species

The use of crystalline hydrogen peroxide adducts was investigated, as a convenient source of stable anhydrous hydrogen peroxide for performing various electrophilic oxidations. In the presence of Lewis acid catalysts, hydroxylation of aromatic hydrocarbons was achieved to generally give a mixture of the expected phenolic products. The yields and isomer distributions of the products varied with the different reagents and provided information regarding the nature of the electrophilic species involved. [Continues.]