Iodolactonization

Iodolactonization (or, more generally, halolactonization) is an organic reaction that forms a ring (the lactone) by the addition of an oxygen and iodine across a carbon-carbon double bond. It is an intramolecular variant of the halohydrin synthesis reaction. The reaction was first reported by M. J. Bougalt in 1904 and has since become one of the most effective ways to synthesize lactones. Strengths of the reaction include the mild conditions and incorporation of the versatile iodine atom into the product.

Iodolactonization has been used in the synthesis of many natural products including those with medicinal applications such as vernolepin and vernomenin, two compounds used in tumor growth inhibition, and vibralactone, a pancreatic lipase inhibitor. Iodolactonization has also been used by Elias James Corey to synthesize numerous prostaglandins.

History

Bougalt's report of iodolactonization represented the first example of a reliable lactonization that could be used in many different systems. Bromolactonization was actually developed in the twenty years prior to Bougalt’s publication of iodolactonization. However, bromolactonization is much less commonly used because the simple electrophilic addition of bromine to an alkene, seen below, can compete with the bromolactonization reaction and reduce the yield of the desired lactone.

Chlorolactonization methods first appeared in the 1950s but are even less commonly employed than bromolactonization.