Efficient oxidation of primary alcohols and beta-amino alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes and alpha-amino aldehydes can be carried out at room temperature and in methylene chloride, using trichloroisocyanuric acid in the presence of catalytic TEMPO: aliphatic, benzylic, and allylic alcohols, and beta-amino alcohols are rapidly oxidized without no overoxidation to carboxylic acids. Secondary carbinols are slowly oxidized so that the reaction is highly chemoselective. Reaction: see text.

A variety of ketoximes, easily prepared from the corresponding ketones, undergo the Beckmann rearrangement upon treatment with 2,4,6-trichloro[1,3,5]triazine in N,N-dimethylformamide at room temperature in excellent yields. This procedure can be applied to aldoximes for obtaining the corresponding nitriles.

Efficient oxidation of primary alcohols to the corresponding carboxylic acids can be carried out at room temperature and in acetone/water, using trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) in the presence of catalytic TEMPO. The mild conditions of this procedure and the total absence of any transition metal make this reaction suitable for safe laboratory use. A possible mechanism is presented and discussed.

[reaction: see text] Efficient conversion of alcohols and beta-amino alcohols to the corresponding chlorides (and bromides) can be carried out at room temperature in methylene chloride, using 2,4,6-trichloro[1,3,5]triazine and N,N-dimethyl formamide. This procedure can also be applied to optically active carbinols.

In light of the growing scarcity of petroleum-based raw materials, carbon dioxide (CO2) is becoming increasing attractive as organic carbon source. In this perspective, formic acid (HCOOH) might be an interesting bio-renewable solution to store, transport, and activate carbon dioxide for the synthesis of value-added chemicals. Herein, HCOOH has been successfully used as C1 building block for the synthesis of a library of alcohols via a catalysed oxo-synthesis, under green experimental conditions