A convenient phosphoryloxylactonization of pentenoic acids with catalytic hypervalent iodine(III) reagent

A novel and convenient catalytic method for phosphoryloxylactonization of pentenoic acids is available: the cyclization of 4-pentenoic acids with phosphates using iodobenzene as a recyclable catalyst in combination with m-chloroperbenzoic acid as the terminal oxidant was easily carried out in CF3CH2OH at room temperature, giving phosphoryloxylactons in good yields, some of them had two diastereoisomers.