Application of thiol-olefin co-oxygenation methodology to a new synthesis of the 1,2,4-trioxane pharmacophore.

[reaction: see text] Thiol-olefin co-oxygenation (TOCO) of substituted allylic alcohols generates alpha-hydroxyperoxides that can be condensed in situ with various ketones to afford a series of functionalized 1,2,4-trioxanes in good yields. Manipulation of the phenylsulfenyl group in 4a allows for convenient modification to the spiro-trioxane substituents, and we describe, for the first time, the preparation of a new class of antimalarial prodrug.