Dedicated to Prof. Michael Orfanopoulos on the occasion of his official retirement, to acknowledge his contribution to physical and synthetic organic chemistry DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/ark.5550190.p008.997 AbstractThe PhIO/Ph 3 P system acts as an efficient mild reagent for the direct esterification of carboxylic acids with alcohols. (Diacyloxyiodo)benzenes, which are in situ generated in DCM solution from carboxylic acids and iodosylbenzene, react smoothly with triphenylphosphine and an alcohol at refluxing DCM in the presence of catalytic amount of DMAP to give the respective esters from good to high yields.