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.

The extraordinary impact of metal-based complexes on synthetic methods is still recognized nowadays, and attempts are currently undertaken to further extend the use of metal-assisted chemistry to environmentally friendly processes within the strongly invoked green chemistry paradigm. In recent years, mechanochemistry seems to provide attractive responses with processing methods having origins lost in the mists of time. Focusing on the panorama of organic synthesis, this Review highlights some recently developed metal-assisted mechanochemical reactions to introduce the reader into the fascinating, quite unexplored world of mechanochemistry.

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.

Mechanochemical transformations have made chemists enter unknown territories, forcing a different chemistry perspective. While questioning or revisiting familiar concepts belonging to solution chemistry, mechanochemistry has broken new ground, especially in the panorama of organic synthesis. Not only does it foster new "thinking outside the box", but it also has opened new reaction paths, allowing to overcome the weaknesses of traditional chemistry exactly where the use of well-established solution-based methodologies rules out progress. In this Review, the reader is introduced to an intriguing research subject not yet fully explored and waiting for improved understanding. Indeed, the study is mainly focused on organic transformations that, although impossible in solution, become possible under mechanochemical processing conditions, simultaneously entailing innovation and expanding the chemical space.This publication is part of a joint Special Collection of Chemistry-Methods and ChemSusChem including invited contributions focusing on "Methods and Applications in Mechanochemistry". Please visit chemsuschem.org/ collections to view all contributions.

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.