| Abstract
| - The dimethyldioxirane (DMD) oxidation of σH adductsderived from nitroarenes and the carbanionof 2-phenylpropionitrile yields unexpectedly the phenols 5as the major products, while the usuallyobserved nitroarenes 4 are formed in very little amounts, ifany. The phenol yield was muchimproved when a small quantity (0.5−1.0 equiv.) of water was added atthe start of the reaction.This novel oxidation of Meisenheimer complexes provides the firstdirect synthesis of phenols fromnitroarenes, an unprecendented transformation.
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