Mechanistic aspects of alkene oxidation using chiral hypervalent iodine reagents

Recent progress in the area of hypervalent iodine-induced enantioselective oxidation is reviewed with emphasis from a mechanistic point of view. Chiral lactate and lactamide sidechains in hypervalent iodine reagents induce herical chirality around the iodine reaction site, which provides a chiral environment suitable for enantioselective transformations. The stereochemical outcomes of alkene oxidation are also compiled and used for systematically understanding the reaction mechanism of oxidative double bond difunctionalization.