A Safe, Simple and Rapid Synthesis of t-Butyl Chromate

Abstract

Di-t-butyl chromate -(t-BuO)₂CrO₂, DTBC- has proven to be a potent and versatile oxidizing reagent, suitable for the direct introduction of a carbonyl group in an allylic position¹. The compound was prepared for the first time by Wienhaus² but Oppenauer³ introduced it as a new oxidizing reagent. DTBC is a crystalline compound with a melting point of 0°C^3,4 and is never used as such but always in a solution of a non polar solvent.