Concentrated Aqueous Sodium Tosylate as Green Medium for Alkene Oxidation and Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions.

A hydrotropic solution of highly concentrated sodium tosylate (NaOTs) can be used as a recyclable medium for the environmentally benign oxidation of conjugated alkenes with H2O2. Both uncatalyzed and metal-catalyzed reactions provided the corresponding oxidation products in higher yields than in pure water or many common organic solvents.