Phenolic Oxidation Using H2O2 via in Situ Generated para-Quinone Methides for the Preparation of para-Spiroepoxydienones

Phenols are attractive starting materials for the preparation of highly substituted cyclohexane rings via dearomative processes. Herein we report an efficient preparation of dearomatized 1-oxaspiro[2.5]­octa-4,7-dien-6-ones (para-spiroepoxydienones) via the nucleophilic epoxidation of in situ generated para-quinone methides from 4-(hydroxymethyl)­phenols using aqueous H2O2. The developed protocol bypasses the need for stoichiometric bismuth reagents or diazomethane, which are frequently deployed for p-spiroepoxydienone preparation. The p-spiroepoxydienones are further elaborated in numerous downstream complexity-building transformations.