The highly enantioselective organocatalytic alpha-selenylation reaction of aldehydes using a hypervalent iodine compound as an oxidative agent from commercially available phenyl diselenide under mild oxidative conditions is described. This transformation affords alpha-selenyl aldehydes in good yields and with excellent enantioselectivities.
By using hypervalent iodine compounds, it opens up a suitable and alternative way for the preparation of biologically active building blocks such as beta-hydroxy alcohols, alpha-amino acids, and alpha-hydroxy esters.