Double dehydrogenation of carbocyclic β-dicarbonyl compounds:Koser's reagent can do what iodine(V) reagents can

Koser's reagent is found to be effective in the oxidative double dehydrogenation of various carbocyclic β-dicarbonyl compounds,which constitutes the first example on dehydrogenation reactivity of hypervalent iodine(Ⅲ) reagents for carbocyclic carbonyl compounds. DFT calculations reveal that the rate-determining step is the electrophilic addition of PhI+OH onto enolate of monodehydrogenated product.